Māori and Pakeha: a bicultural consensus at last?

victoria-university-of-wellington

Wed Mar 18 2009 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Māori and Pakeha: a bicultural consensus at last?

Wednesday, 18 March 2009, 2:41 pm
Press Release: Victoria University of Wellington

Wally Penetito believes New Zealanders have reached an historic consensus that has elevated biculturalism to a reality rather than a goal.

The Victoria University Faculty of Education Professor, who gives his inaugural professorial lecture on Tuesday night, says the Māori party’s prominence in the National-led government is just one of the signs that kaupapa Māori (Māori knowledge and philosophy) has moved beyond its radical beginnings, and is now gaining acceptance by the mainstream.

Professor Penetito will discuss what this watershed means for New Zealanders in his lecture titled “Where are we now in Māori education?”

“The revitalisation of the Māori language and culture and the healing processes generated by the activities of the Waitangi Tribunal have brought about a new sense of belonging, an enlivened spirit that draws on the best of both worlds,” says Professor Penetito.

He traces this change to the beginnings of the “kaupapa Māori” movement in education around 1980. He says there is an emerging new consensus in education—and wider society—based on fairness, equality and a great deal of jostling from Māori quarters.

“It is a system premised on the acceptance of the need for all New Zealand citizens to be able to walk confidently and knowingly in the two cultures that are the founding cultures of the nation.”

Professor Penetito notes that symbolic changes—such as the adoption of “Kia ora” and “Aotearoa” into common expression—have been matched by institutional change, such as the emergence of Māori Television and the Māori Party.

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“The creation of a Māori Party operating successfully in parliament is an enormous achievement by both Māori and all other constituents.”

Professor Penetito says developments in education have branched out into other areas of society. Where they were generated by Māori activism, they have gradually been accepted by the mainstream.

“We have woken up to the fact that biculturalism is more than just a slogan we are playing with. It is real, and it is happening everywhere.”

Victoria University Vice-Chancellor Professor Pat Walsh says Professor Penetito is an outstanding researcher, teacher, and leader in his field.

“This is a notable appointment both for Victoria University, the Faculty of Education and for Māori in education. Professor Penetito has had a distinguished career in education, and has been at the forefront of attempts to improve the education system’s responsiveness to Māori needs and aspirations.”

Professor Walsh says Victoria’s Inaugural Lecture series is an opportunity for new professors to provide family, friends, colleagues and the wider community with an insight to their specialist area of study.

“It is also an opportunity for the University to celebrate and acknowledge our valued professors.”

Professor Penetito began teaching as a Senior Lecturer at Victoria University in 1998 after a long career in education. He has also provided policy and development advice to government departments on matters relating to Māori Education.

In addition, he is co-director of He Pārekereke: Institute for Research and Development in Māori and Pacific Education at Victoria and helped establish Nga Pae o te Maramatanga (the Maori Centre of Research Excellence) based at the University of Auckland.

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