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- Title
PREJUDICE, PATHWAYS AND PAVLOVA: A PARADOX OF SUCCESS: Personal reflections of Sir Toby Curtis.
- Authors
Curtis, Toby; Macfarlane, Angus; Derby, Melissa; Macfarlane, Sonja
- Abstract
This paper is based on a keynote address presented at the 2017 annual Ma ori Research Colloquium at the University of Canterbury. The paper provides a snapshot of the history of education in New Zealand, and presents a story of success in the face of enormous social and psychological challenges brought about by historical events and government policies, over time. It is written from an insider's perspective, and is peppered with personal reflections from its author, one of New Zealand's pre-eminent educationalists, Sir Toby Curtis, who achieved at the highest levels of education in New Zealand and abroad, and was knighted for his services to Ma ori education. Sir Toby reflects on the apportioning of power between Ma ori and non-Ma ori within the education system, and seeks to determine how an imbalance may have contributed to inequitable educational outcomes for Ma ori in the last 180 years. The following questions emerge from these ruminations: 1. In what ways has power imbalance within the New Zealand education system impacted on educational experiences and outcomes for Ma ori? 2. How have these educational experiences manifested within (and beyond) the system? 3. What meanings and aspirations can be taken from the whakatauk 'He moana pukekepuke, e ekengia/A choppy sea can be navigated'? In essence, this paper seeks to dig beneath the surface of past occurrences in order to shed some light on the questions posed above. Sir Toby commences by sifting through the history of colonial influences on education in this country, and sprinkles this with his own experiences going to school, many of which were plagued by challenges of various forms. Sir Toby makes bold and often astute observations about the impact of colonial policy on Ma ori (and how it affected him personally), and redirects the emphasis by proposing a pathway forward for the future of Ma ori education. At its core, this paper tells a personal story within a larger story of a determination to triumph over notions of inferiority and oppression - it is a story of resilience and a story of hope.
- Subjects
EDUCATIONAL attainment; UNIVERSITY of Canterbury; EDUCATIONAL outcomes; SELF-esteem
- Publication
Kairaranga, 2018, Vol 19, Issue 2, p9
- ISSN
1175-9232
- Publication type
Article