A list compiled by lawyer and Māori rights activist Tania Waikato shows that 20 Tairāwhiti schools have pledged to continue to give effect to Te Tiriti, regardless of legislation changes. Photo / 123rf
Nearly 40% of Tairāwhiti schools have pushed back against a Government law change that means school boards are no longer legally required to “give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi”.
The Education and Training Amendment Bill (No 2) was enacted into law on Tuesday.
Minister of Education Erica Stanford said that with the changes, schools and school boards would continue to be able “to reflect te ao Māori values and customs in ways that are meaningful to their own communities”.
However, the move has resulted in a strong reaction from the National Iwi Chairs Forum (NICF) and many schools and school boards across the country.
The NCIF launched a petition seeking its reversal. As of Friday afternoon, it had received 22,327 signatures.
The petition states education is where Te Tiriti o Waitangi is “made real for every generation”.
Ensuring that schools, early learning services and tertiary institutions give effect to Te Tiriti shapes how “our children learn about identity, belonging, and partnership,” the petition reads.
Lawyer and Māori rights advocate Tania Waikato has been compiling a list of the 847 schools (as of Thursday) across the motu that have made declarations to continue to give effect to Te Tiriti in a stance against the law change.
From Tairāwhiti, 20 schools feature on Waikato’s list posted on her Facebook page, which makes up 37.7% of the 53 Gisborne schools listed on the Ministry of Education website.
Stanford said that when the former Government amended the Education Act in 2020, requiring school boards to “give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi”, parents who were “effectively volunteers” were suddenly expected to “interpret and implement a Treaty obligation” that sat with the Crown.
“Boards lost focus on their core responsibilities: achievement, attendance, keeping young people safe at school, and ensuring they’re learning. Results continued to decline,” she said in a statement to Local Democracy Reporting.
Many schools posted letters sharing concerns about removing the treaty requirement on their Facebook pages.
MoE deputy secretary of policy Andy Jackson said the changes did not prevent school boards from affirming their commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi or from developing their own priorities informed by their school community.
Three Gisborne schools had been in contact with the ministry regarding their commitment to upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi, he said.
Post Primary Teachers’ Association Gisborne chair Jason Devery said he must “mihi” the kura that had already signalled their boards would continue to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
“I can confirm that the PPTA wholeheartedly supports this stand nationwide,” he said.
Jonathan Poole, New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Gisborne president and Ilminster Intermediate principal, told LDR that the branch was against the changes and wanted the amendment reversed.
The Illminster Intermediate School board also posted a letter against the changes, stating that giving effect to Te Tiriti was not an “optional extra” to education.
Poole said giving effect to Te Tiriti was about ensuring the region lived up to its bicultural society status, with a predominantly Māori population [about 54.8%].
“Our board is very passionate about Māori achievement and making sure that we have the right system and processes in place to ensure that Māori achievement happens.”
It came down to honouring what was signed a long time ago and honouring what was supposed to be agreed to, he said.
“It’s an important part of our whakapapa, our history ... obviously it wasn’t honoured at the start, but people are now trying to give effect to Te Tiriti.”
Many school letters mentioned Te Tiriti o Waitangi was central to the identity of the school, as well as the identity of the community and the nation.
The Lytton High board’s letter said giving effect to Te Tiriti shaped a school environment where students saw themselves “their language, their culture and their whakapapa - reflected, valued and affirmed”.
Awapuni School, with the support of its board, posted that the changes risked “undermining the progress we have made as a nation, and as a kura, in honouring te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and our partnership with iwi and whānau”.
The Riverdale School board letter said they were proud of the school’s whakapapa.
“Te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori will always be part of our students’ learning alongside the NZ curriculum.”
The Wainui Beach School board letter said that for years they had worked to integrate te reo Maori, tikanga Maori and matauranga Maori into school life, which had benefitted every student regardless of their background.
Gisborne Girls’ High School board said they would continue to act as if the law was still enforced, as it defined “what an equitable and honourable education system in Aotearoa New Zealand must be”.
List of Tairāwhiti schools on Waikato’s list (as of Thursday):
*This list is not exhaustive and is based on Waikato’s list so far.