Canterbury and Canada combine in online Indigenous Economics course
A cohort of First Nations students from the Tulo Centre of Indigenous Economics in British Columbia, Canada, and students from the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre at the University of Canterbury, Aotearoa New Zealand, have been studying Indigenous Economics together virtually, in a pilot course.
The image is what is called Ledger Art, Manny did this piece of art in anticipation of this course. It that symbolises the two indigenous groups coming together.
The Ngāi Tahu Research Centre (NTRC) collaborated with the Tulo Centre to deliver a unique course in Indigenous Economics with 16 First Nation Canadian students joining a Ngāi Tahu cohort of 16 late last month.
“The idea was if this pilot was successful then we would work towards refining the course and looking to get future credits cross credited to UC,” says NTRC Director Associate Professor Te Maire Tau, who is also Ngāi Tūāhuriri Upoko.
Leading the Canadian side, C.T. (Manny) Jules is the Chief Commissioner of the First Nations Tax Commission based in Kamloops, British Columbia. He is a leading figure in getting Canada’s First Nations people independence over their tax affairs, and says tax autonomy forms a vital part in self-determination and entrepreneurship.
“We share the Pacific Ocean. We share the wealth, life and imagination the ocean has brought to our lands. The waka and the canoe, symbols of teamwork and determination, have brought us to new and different places. Our ancestors, shining through the North Star and Southern Cross, have connected us to work together and learn from one another,” he says.