NZEI Welcomes Te Marautanga O Aotearoa

NZEI Welcomes Te Marautanga O Aotearoa

NZEI Te Riu Roa says the draft Maori medium curriculum is a pioneering document which will give teachers the clear direction they have been waiting for.

Te Marautanga o Aotearoa was launched today by the Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia and the Education Minister Chris Carter.

It sets the direction for the thousands of students in bi-lingual Maori units and total immersion schools, where te reo Maori is used for all teaching and learning.

NZEI Miro Maori, members who make up the majority of teachers in those schools, have been involved in the development of Te Marautanga. They say it is a world-leading document because it is not a translation but is written in te reo and from a completely indigenous perspective.

NZEI Matua Takawaenga, Laures Park says “kaiako in kura kaupapa and bi-lingual units will embrace it because they now have a document based around their own beliefs that promotes te reo Maori. And it can also be accessed by children in mainstream schools.”

“Teachers will be able to take clear direction from it, map out their students’ learning and decide what kind of outcomes they want for them. It is a vision for our children,” she says.

Te Marautanga is a partner document to the New Zealand Curriculum, launched last week,” says NZEI National President Irene Cooper. “And just like the New Zealand Curriculum, it will also require adequate resourcing and professional development for teachers and principals, if it is to be successfully implemented.”

Consultation on the draft is underway until April 2008 and NZEI plans to make further submissions during that period.

ENDS

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