Colonial systems, values and worldviews create inequity
Whānau
Jess
To us as a whānau whanaungatanga is really important. We need to establish relationships. We need to know that we're all on the same page so that we can effectively support our son. And that he feels like he's you know, he can trust his kaiako when we step out. And that took a lot of effort. And even little things, like asking for ORS hours.
There's all these pools and streams of funding that we literally had to push for. And it's like, I hate to say it, but it's like they’re gatekeeping all of the funding that they have. And they're like, wait until everything gets really bad and then we'll offer it to you.
I used to not look forward to going to meetings at the school because I knew that I was talking to people that just didn't get it. These are people that have never raised kids that have a disability.
They say that they support five kids, but all those five kids are different. None of them are Māori, so they don't understand our cultural values and our tikanga and how we operate in a whānau unit or context, you know, underpinned by that whakaaro. And so we were having to teach these people our culture. We were having to explain why we do things the way that we do things. And that was really tiring in itself. We feel like we were… we had done a lot of upskilling as parents, you know, because we want to support Te Aurere and make sure that he thrives and flourishes to be the superstar that he will be.
When you’re met with kaiako that have absolutely no knowledge of takiwātanga or have maybe supported one taonga in their teaching career, it's really hard when they're not given the opportunity to upskill themselves. And you as the parent are having to share all of that knowledge or share all of your teachings just ʻcause. You know, like I could run a whole PD session just because I love my son.
He has a special ability. Please don't call it autism, we call it takiwātanga. Those were the sorts of things that we wanted to be really specific about in terms of, you're going to be engaging with our son, you need to be doing it at a certain level, and this is how we do it as a whānau. Because we want him to grow up to be confident.
We want him to grow up to, first of all, know that he Māori ahau. For Māori when we get up and we introduce ourselves, we say our whakapapa. We don't say, “kia ora, my name's Te Aurere. I have takiwātanga”. You know, if he chooses to identify as having that as he gets older, he pai e ngā tera, but for him, first and foremost, he's Maori and his whakapapa will come first. And so that was really important for us as parents.
In this video, whānau discuss the importance of whanaungatanga (establishing relationships) and understanding cultural values and tikanga to collectively support taonga.
Lack of equity for these whānau is grounded in the historic ways that they’ve been marginalised and stigmatised. Many Māori whānau find that their pūrākau (stories), tūpuna knowledge, and unique understandings of disability are excluded.
The Western, medical, deficit-focused view of disabilities brought to Aotearoa New Zealand through colonisation has created a culture of ableism that diminishes the mana of whānau hauā and whānau. This does not go unnoticed by tamariki as the Education Review Office (2022) found, when 30% of disabled learners didn’t feel a sense of belonging at school and 27% reflected that they didn’t feel accepted for who they are (ERO, 2022, p. 34).
When considering inequity for whānau hauā and whānau, the following themes emerged from the findings of the report:
Discrimination
- Current understandings of disability are influenced by Pākehā histories and perspectives; and grounded in Western religious and medical models that have historically marginalised and stigmatised people with disabilities.
Colonialism
- Māori understandings of disabilities are undervalued and overlooked.
- Colonial mindsets often do not align with indigenous perspectives.
Deficit-focus
- Current assessment and planning models are deficit-focused, based on medical perspectives, and don't adequately cater to the diverse needs and strengths of students with disabilities.
- Ableism.
Outdated attitudes
- View of learning is limited to narrow age and place, with little allowance for learning across the lifespan and as a community activity.
Sense of belonging and acceptance at school
Ka hiahiatia pea ēnei
You may also be interested in
- Whaikaha | Ministry for Disabled People – Our Whakapapa
Discover some important moments that shaped disability in Aotearoa New Zealand. - Kaikohe whānau seek help to establish Kaupapa Māori Centre for kids with disabilities
A Northland whānau build the world's first fully-accessible, full-immersion te reo Māori early childhood centre. - Cha'nel Kaa-Luke | uLearn23
Cha'nel Kaa-Luke discusses barriers Māori Deaf learners face in education settings, and provides strategies for mitigating these limitations.
Hei whakaaro ake
Food for thought
- What specific experiences, people or events came to mind when watching these videos, or exploring these narratives?
- What could you find out about whānau hauā, tāngata whaikaha education in the past that might help you change future outcomes?
- How do we move past our discomfort and create a shift in the ways we respond to these needs and challenges?
- What steps can you take to be an advocate and ally for whānau hauā, tāngata whaikaha and whānau?
