New book on successful schooling for Māori launched
22 June 2011
A UC academic has edited a new book on successful schooling for Māori that was launched during a recent hui at Pipitea marae in Wellington.
Paul Whitinui
A UC academic has edited a new book on successful schooling for Māori that was launched during a recent hui at Pipitea marae in Wellington.
Kia Tangi Te Tïtï - Permission to Speak was edited by Paul Whitinui (Ngāpuhi, Ngātikuri and Pākehā), a senior lecturer at Aotahi: School of Māori and Indigenous Studies. It draws together academic contributions from diverse fields of mātauranga (education), mātauranga hinengaro (psychology), whakaako hauora (health), akoranga takakau-ā-ora (sport and leisure) and others for a critical and forward-thinking view of how schooling for Māori students can be improved.
The book was launched on 5 May at the conclusion of the first day of a hui exploring kaupapa Māori research, run by Te Wāhanga, the Māori unit within the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER). The book is published by NZCER’s publishing arm, NZCER Press.
Speakers at the launch included NZCER Director Robyn Baker, who spoke of NZCER’s commitment to making a contribution to Māori education and paid tribute to Paul’s hard work in bringing together the range of contributors. UC Professor of Māori Research Angus Macfarlane provided an analysis of the content of the book and commented on its potential contribution to the field of Māori advancement. The launch concluded when a karakia (spiritual sanctioning) was recited over the book by Dr Turoa Royal, who wrote the foreword for the book.
Mr Whitinui said he felt very fortunate to have worked with “so many passionate and inspiring educators and academics whose expertise about Māori education provided a much wider view of ways to improve what we are currently doing for Māori students in our schools today”.
“It is my hope that the book finds its mark by addressing the ongoing crisis of Māori student underachievement and that the ideas within the book go some way to anticipating a wide range of schooling initiatives, developments and strategies that are more likely to benefit Māori students and their education, now and in the immediate future.”
More information on the book can be found on the NZCER site at: http://www.nzcer.org.nz/default.php?products_id=2767.
For more information please contact:
Maria De Cort
Communications Officer
Communications & External Relations
Mobile: +64 27 299 0741
maria.decort@canterbury.ac.nz
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