Māori knowledge, customs and language at the centre of new teaching qualification
A critical need for more reo Māori-speaking teachers will be addressed next year when a new training course launches at the University of Canterbury.
A Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha |University of Canterbury team has helped create a new Mātauranga Māori teaching qualification within the Ako | Bachelor of Teaching and Learning degree for early childhood and primary teachers. Some of the team include: (from left) Tāniora Leys (Ngāti Porou), Rahera Cowie (Kāi Tahu, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu), Kay-Lee Jones (Te Whānau a Kai, Te Aitanga a Māhaki, Ngāti Porou), and Jody Hohaia (Kāi Tahu, Raukawa, Tainui).
Te Kaupeka Ako | UC Faculty of Education Pūkenga Matua | Senior Lecturer Kay-Lee Jones (Te Whānau a Kai, Te Aitanga a Māhaki, Ngāti Porou), says the new programme will help address a shortage of reo Māori speaking teachers and equip new teachers with knowledge of local stories and histories within Waitaha Canterbury.
“Our goal is to introduce a pathway that provides opportunities for trainee teachers to increase their competency and confidence to kōrero [speak] Māori and to teach in te reo Māori, as well as embedding tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori throughout their practice.
“There is a shortage of quality reo-speaking teachers across Aotearoa, but it’s even more dire in Te Waipounamu [South Island] where there is a real need for Māori teacher education.”
Graduates will be qualified to teach in Māori medium and English medium schools and early childhood centres.
