Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Matua and Whaea: Clive School allows teachers to be referred to by te reo teaching titles after review

Hawkes Bay Today
19 Apr, 2021 03:09 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Teachers can now be referred to as matua and whaea at Clive School. Photo / File

Teachers can now be referred to as matua and whaea at Clive School. Photo / File

The matua and whaea debate appears to have been settled.

A Hawke's Bay school where two student teachers left after alleging they were not allowed to be referred to by pupils as matua and whaea says all teachers at the school will now be welcome to choose to use them as teaching titles.

A Clive School Board of Trustees spokeswoman confirmed today that the school had made made the changes after a review started by the incident.

In March Rangi Mitchell and Arihi Raiha Hutana said they had left Clive School after what they alleged was an ultimatum by principal Brian Eales - be referred to by schoolkids as Mr and Miss, not matua and whaea, or leave.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The two teachers said the titles were a mark of respect to their culture and world view, and they should be entitled to use them in the classroom.

The Clive School spokeswoman said since the issue was drawn to the board's attention it had been working through a process to review the practice.

She said the school had taken its time to ensure its practice and use of the terms were in line with the best practice for New Zealand schools.

Student teachers Rangi Mitchell and Arihi Hutana left the Hawke's Bay school because they weren't allowed to be called whaea or matua. Photo / Warren Buckland
Student teachers Rangi Mitchell and Arihi Hutana left the Hawke's Bay school because they weren't allowed to be called whaea or matua. Photo / Warren Buckland

"We think it is important to also confirm that our board is committed to giving effect to local tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te ao Māori in our school and our wonderful staff are continually engaging positively to ensure their plans and curriculum are culturally reflective," she added.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Last week three MPs had their say in Parliament about the use of matua and whaea titles in classrooms.

Māori Party co-leader Deborah Ngarewa-Packer, who comes from a whānau of teachers, said it could be really hard to learn if you can't relate to who it is and how you're being taught.

"Matua and whaea are really respectful terms and you couldn't have anything else so much more connected," she said.

"The reality is we are Aotearoa and we consistently don't see respect for tangata whenua and the need that we have to show that respect."

Fellow Māori Part co-leader Rawiri Waititi said the terms are different to Sir and Miss because they are about hierarchy, and matua and whaea are about respect.

"There are still schools cutting taonga of students' necks, there are still rules in some schools where our tamariki aren't allowed to express their cultural identity," he said.

Waititi said he would be in contact with certain schools about these issues.

MP and Minister of Māori Development Willie Jackson said he would always support teachers being able to be called matua and whaea as it's a natural thing for a lot of children in New Zealand.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We've got to make the education system user friendly - it's not one shoe fits all," he said.

Mitchell and Hutana could not be reached for comment today.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

How new speed limits are making Hastings schools safer

Hawkes Bay Today

Heavy rain watch north of Napier, potential to be upgraded to warning

Hawkes Bay Today

Four crashes in Hawke’s Bay send four to hospital


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

How new speed limits are making Hastings schools safer
Hawkes Bay Today

How new speed limits are making Hastings schools safer

The changes are part of Hastings' early rollout of lower speed limits.

16 Jul 03:49 AM
Heavy rain watch north of Napier, potential to be upgraded to warning
Hawkes Bay Today

Heavy rain watch north of Napier, potential to be upgraded to warning

16 Jul 01:20 AM
Four crashes in Hawke’s Bay send four to hospital
Hawkes Bay Today

Four crashes in Hawke’s Bay send four to hospital

15 Jul 11:58 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP