Mātauranga Māori and neuroscience merge for new parenting show Kids Don’t Come with a Manual

Kids Don’t Come with a Manual will air on Whakaata Māori on June 16. Photo / Supplied

A new TV show, Kids Don’t Come with a Manual, is using traditional Māori knowledge and neuroscience to deliver a parenting guide for whānau.

Presenter Nathan Wallis (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahungunu) is a neuroscientist and educator who spent over a year conducting interviews with whānau for the show’s inaugural season.

He says it moves away from conventional parenting services that are white and middle-class.

“Māori culture and knowledge has a whole wealth of information that comes from our ancestors that really supports what we are doing today,” said Wallis.

He highlighted the unique world view of children who speak Māori, such as his god-daughter.

“I realised when she was about 3 that she saw a completely different world than I did, that the language you speak chooses what you notice in the environment. So you construct quite a different world. So yeah, I think it is unique parenting Māori children.”

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With this in mind, the show adopted a kaupapa Māori approach to empower whānau and put their well-being first. However Wallis emphasises the show still caters to anyone and everyone.

“Everybody has been a child, so this will help you understand your own child,” he said.

Kids Don’t Come with a Manual will air on Whakaata Māori on June 16.