Rahui Papa, chair of Pou Tangata the NICF's arm responsible for education. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
The National Iwi Chairs Forum (NICF), supported by a coalition of national education organisations, has launched a petition against the government's removal of the requirement for school boards to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The Treaty requirement currently in the Education Act said schools would give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, including by ensuring plans, policies, and local curriculum reflected local tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori, and te ao Māori; taking all reasonable steps to make instruction available in tikanga Māori and te reo Māori; and achieving equitable outcomes for Māori students.
Rahui Papa, chair of Pou Tangata the NICF's arm responsible for education, said after more than a year of formal engagement and consultation with the government on the proposed changes, they were disappointed and concerned by the last-minute amendments to remove the school board objective requiring schools to give effect to Te Tiriti.
"These amendments were never put out for consultation. Instead, they were introduced by the minister after public consultation closed, published less than 24 hours before they progressed through Parliament, and it looks like those changes will be passed into law today - only a week after they were made public," Papa said.
"We're launching this petition to send a clear message to the Government: removing Te Tiriti from education law undermines your responsibility to ensure every learner, Māori and non-Māori, thrives in an education system that honours the Māori-Crown relationship."
Education Minister Erica Stanford said the Treaty was the Crown's responsibility, not schools'.
"School boards should have direction and we are giving very clear direction. You need to ensure equitable outcomes for Māori students, you need to be offering te reo Māori and you need to be culturally competent," she said.
Stanford said she has not been in contact with the NICF but will be soon.
"We have been very carefully looking at what the government's responsibility is under section 32 in upholding our Treaty obligations and I'm confident that we're doing the very best that we can to do that, you've seen that in Māori results... I understand that iwi chairs have taken issue with that and I'll talk to them about that directly."
The Protect Te Tiriti o Waitangi in Education petition is led by the National Iwi Chairs Forum, and supported by the New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa, New Zealand Principals' Federation, New Zealand Post Primary Teachers' Association Te Wehengarua, Te Akatea New Zealand Māori Principals Association, Secondary Principals Association of New Zealand, Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa - New Zealand Schools Boards Association, Ngā Kura ā Iwi o Aotearoa, and Te Rūnanga Nui o ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa.
Papa said collectively the coalition represents 88 iwi and over 95,000 teachers, principals, schools, and kura.
"We agree with the Minister of Education when she says that school boards play an important role in raising achievement. Boards set the overall direction of a school or kura, through their governance responsibilities and development of strategic plans," Papa said.
"Removing Te Tiriti from the one place every child in Aotearoa passes through - our education system - deprives our tamariki of the opportunity to learn about identity, belonging, and partnership in a culturally responsive environment, and we will not sit idly by while this happens."
The petition is hosted on ActionStation and will be available to sign until Tuesday, 25 November. It will then be presented to Parliament.
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