Te hiranga o Mātauranga Māori-ā-iwi in education

Ko Whakapoungakau ngā pae maunga, ko Matawera te wai, ko Te Arawa te waka, ko Ngāti Uenukukōpako te iwi, ko Ruamata te marae, ko Te Kapua Hohepa-Watene tōku ingoa. Kei te mahi au ki Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga, he Kaiārahi Mātauranga Māori tōku tūranga. Ko tōku aronga rangahau o nāianei ko te kohinga kōrero e pā ana ki te  o Toi Ohomai | Te Pūkenga, “Ngā kuri a Whārei ki Tihirau te rohe  rā, mahora ana ki te tai, Maketū te ihu e, Tongariro te kei e, ko te pae ki Raukawa e”.  
 
Whakapoungakau is the mountain range, Matawera is the body of water, Te Arawa is the canoe, Ngāti Uenukukōpako is the tribe, Ruamata is the marae. Te Kapua Hohepa-Watene is a Kaiārahi for kaiako at Toi Ohomai where she is actively explores and implements mātauranga Māori into programmes and courses. Her current research focus involves the collection of information related to the Toi Ohomai districts of Waihi to Tihirau, Maketū to Tongariro, Tokoroa and surrounding areas.   

I whai te kaupapa rangahau nei ki te whakamōhio ki ngā kaiwhakaako mō te whakahirahiratanga o mātauranga Māori ā-iwi ki roto i ngā akoranga hei whakapai ake i ngā whakaaro tau o ngā ākonga, ā, hei huanga, te whakapai ake i o rātou haerenga ako i roto i Te Ao Hurihuri. Nā roto i te wheako i te hīkoi o ngā wāhi tapu o Te Arawa, huri noa i Rotorua me te haere ki tētahi wānanga i runga i te marae o Tangatarua, e matapaki ana i ngā tikanga o tēnei rohe, ka kitea a ngā tauira i roto i ngā urupare kounga i tētahi hononga pai i waenganui i ēnei wheako me o rātou ake whakaaro tau nō roto i tēnei rohe me te kura o Toi Ohomai.  

E ono ngā kaupapa rangahau matua ka whakamāramatia i roto i ngā wheako ahurea kia pai ake ai ngā whakaaro tau o ngā ākonga: ko te akiaki i ngā huanga taha wairua (taha wairua), te whakanui i ngā uarā me ngā tikanga o te ao Māori (tino rangatiratanga), te akiaki i te whakamahinga o ngā tairongo katoa i roto i ngā akoranga (ngā tairongo), te whakamahinga o ‘Ako’ i roto i ngā mahinga e pā ana ki te ao Māori (ako), te whakamahinga o te reo Māori i mua me te wā o te wānanga me te hīkoi (te reo Māori), me te hiranga o ngā kaupapa mātauranga Māori o tēnei rohe (mātauranga Māori ā-rohe, ā-iwi) i whakarite, i matapaki ki te taha o te tima Kaitiaki Māori.

This research project sought to inform tertiary educators about the importance of incorporating mātauranga Māori ā-rohe, ā-iwi (local regional and tribal cultural knowledge) within lessons to enhance students’ sense of belonging, and improve learning journeys in Te Ao Hurihuri. Through experiencing a hīkoi (fieldtrip) of local Te Arawa sites of cultural significance around Rotorua, attending a marae-based wānanga at Tangatarua Marae, and discussing local tikanga, student qualitative feedback identified a positive relationship between these experiences and their own personal sense of belonging to the Rotorua area and Toi Ohomai.

The research identifies and explains six central themes within the cultural experiences that enhanced the sense of belonging of students:

• encouragement of taha wairua attributes (taha wairua);
• honouring te ao Māori values and traditions (tino rangatiratanga);
• promoting the use of learning that requires the activation of all senses (ngā tairongo katoa);
• learning through ‘ako’ with those who have ‘lived’ cultural experiences and knowledge (ako);
• immersive wānanga and hīkoi experiences that require the inclusion of te reo Māori content (te reo Māori’; and
• local mātauranga Māori content (mātauranga Māori ā-rohe);
• including the careful and diligent preparation of the content with Toi Ohomai’s Kaitiaki Māori team.

Research outputs include:

Hohepa-Watene, T.C. (2023). Te Whakapai ake i ngā Haerenga Ako o ngā Ākonga ki Toi Ohomai nā te tohatoha i ngā Hītori me ngā Tikanga Māori ā-rohe. Improving Students' Sense of Belonging at Toi Ohomai through the sharing of local Māori Cultural History and Practices[Report]. Unpublished: Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology.

Hohepa-Watene, T. (2023, September 8). Te hiranga o Mātauranga Māori āiwi ki te mātauranga - Importance of including Mātauranga Māori ā-iwi in education [Symposium presentation]. Te Manawa Reka Curiosity Research Symposium, Toi Ohomai Te Pūkenga, Tauranga, New Zealand.