title: Home and the spirit in the Maori world

authors: Nikora, Linda Waimarie

abstract: Today we explore home as a place of spiritual belonging and continuity and how tangi relies on the genealogical connectedness of ancestral and living communities to care for the tūpāpaku, the human remains, and wairua, the spirit of the deceased, as well as the living. While colonisation and westernisation have changed us, the institution of tangi, our rituals of death and mourning, have remained since pre-encounter times. In the face of death, tangi and its repetitive ritualised pattern of encounter and mourning might be viewed as a lifeline to hold on to as the disturbance and turmoil spawned by death is endured.

We begin this paper by returning to the beginning, the place of potentiality to contemplate our spiritual origins and life endowments. We consider the nature of Māori beliefs about a spiritual afterlife and how through the institution of tangi we guide and support the departing spirit on its way. We argue that these rituals of departure and support are most optimally performed within the context of our marae and spiritual landscapes. Reinforcing this, the interment of the deceased amongst kin enhances our togetherness, in life and death, and protects us from entities with malevolent intent. For these reasons, we reaffirm the rightness of our beliefs and practices. Contestation of tūpāpaku, an act of spiritual responsibility in which tūpāpaku are returned to their tribal homelands for mourning and interment amongst kin is presented as an exemplar of right spiritual practice. We conclude with a discussion of some challenges Māori must confront to live life more consciously in spiritually responsible ways and in continuity with our origins and futures.

text: Home and the spirit in the Maori world Today we explore home as a place of spiritual belonging and continuity and how tangi relies on the genealogical connectedness of ancestral and living communities to care for the tūpāpaku, the human remains, and wairua, the spirit of the deceased, as well as the living. While colonisation and westernisation have changed us, the institution of tangi, our rituals of death and mourning, have remained since pre-encounter times. In the face of death, tangi and its repetitive ritualised pattern of encounter and mourning might be viewed as a lifeline to hold on to as the disturbance and turmoil spawned by death is endured.

We begin this paper by returning to the beginning, the place of potentiality to contemplate our spiritual origins and life endowments. We consider the nature of Māori beliefs about a spiritual afterlife and how through the institution of tangi we guide and support the departing spirit on its way. We argue that these rituals of departure and support are most optimally performed within the context of our marae and spiritual landscapes. Reinforcing this, the interment of the deceased amongst kin enhances our togetherness, in life and death, and protects us from entities with malevolent intent. For these reasons, we reaffirm the rightness of our beliefs and practices. Contestation of tūpāpaku, an act of spiritual responsibility in which tūpāpaku are returned to their tribal homelands for mourning and interment amongst kin is presented as an exemplar of right spiritual practice. We conclude with a discussion of some challenges Māori must confront to live life more consciously in spiritually responsible ways and in continuity with our origins and futures.

year: 2013

title: Māori academic success: Why the deficit perspectives?

authors: Aporosa, S. 'Apo'

subjects: Māori

abstract: Academics have long discussed the power of communication to both motivate and discourage. Concerning education, Paulo Freire (1997) had explained the dialogical learning process and the empowerment that comes from the inclusion of student knowledge. Alternatively, Carlson & Dimitriadis (2003) describe disempowerment and underachievement among Afro-American students resulting from societal expectations that they will fail. In a recent education environment scan focused on the Waikato-Tainui rohe, 28 kaupapa Māori education providers were identified as sites of high educational success, with one described as “outshining private schools and bucking national trends” (Carson, 2013). This aside, perceptions of generalized educational failure among Māori are commonplace in Aotearoa New Zealand. These impressions are fed by the media, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and in some cases, academic publications. This paper discusses the power of deficit models and counter-narratives to academic underachievement. This will be juxtaposed with commentary on why some students and their education providers within the Waikato-Tainui rohe appear to be unaffected by these counter- narratives and deficit theorizing.

text: Māori academic success: Why the deficit perspectives? Academics have long discussed the power of communication to both motivate and discourage. Concerning education, Paulo Freire (1997) had explained the dialogical learning process and the empowerment that comes from the inclusion of student knowledge. Alternatively, Carlson & Dimitriadis (2003) describe disempowerment and underachievement among Afro-American students resulting from societal expectations that they will fail. In a recent education environment scan focused on the Waikato-Tainui rohe, 28 kaupapa Māori education providers were identified as sites of high educational success, with one described as “outshining private schools and bucking national trends” (Carson, 2013). This aside, perceptions of generalized educational failure among Māori are commonplace in Aotearoa New Zealand. These impressions are fed by the media, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and in some cases, academic publications. This paper discusses the power of deficit models and counter-narratives to academic underachievement. This will be juxtaposed with commentary on why some students and their education providers within the Waikato-Tainui rohe appear to be unaffected by these counter- narratives and deficit theorizing.

year: 2016

title: Measuring the pedagogical shift: Small-scale review of the New Zealand Diploma in Legal Executive Studies (NZDipLEX)

authors: Martell-Stark, Cynthia

subjects: Online learning

abstract: This research focuses on the fully online New Zealand Diploma in Legal Executive Studies (DipLEX) at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology (TOIT) that was first delivered in 2017. The development of an online program was enabled by the review of qualifications that changed the ownership of the qualification from industry bodies to a national framework. The online program has proven to be successful from an institutional perspective. Nevertheless, it has faced some criticism from the very industry bodies that took part in the initial review process that made the decision to remove industry control. Given this criticism and the review of vocational education and training (RoVE) it is timely to reflect on the qualification and its outcomes for graduates and its relationship to industry. The overarching purpose of this qualitative small-scale study is to evaluate the DipLEX to understand the benefits, if any, that have accrued from the use of constructivist approaches, including communities of learning and problem-based learning in the online environment; to explore the applicability of content and teaching techniques to the employment of legal executives; to determine the transferability of the skills and knowledge in the new DipLEX to legal practice, particularly in the short term (e.g., the first six months of employment); and to identify strengths and weaknesses of the DipLEX. To achieve these aims, interviews were held with five graduates and three employer representatives. The findings from these interviews included a range of sub-themes that stemmed from the overarching topics of learning and transition to work and in employment.
For the graduates, sub-themes included thoughts on the benefits and challenges of online learning, the benefits of applied learning and the graduates’ views on assessment structures, the role of the diploma in their job search, and initial employment and progression experiences. For the employers’ representatives’ the sub-themes included thoughts on the value of the diploma in law firms, the employers’ lack of understanding about the diploma, their wish list for the learning they would like to see included the diploma program and their views about online learning. Further sub-themes included the employers’ observations on firm-based practices within the profession of legal executives, including their recruitment, initial employment experiences, including the importance of professional development and career progression. Based on these findings discoveries of note were made in relation to (1) online learning, (2) disconnections between education and industry and (3) gender dynamics that provided a basis for recommendations to improve the experiences of students in the online DipLEX program. Despite extensive consultation and reviews, this research demonstrates an enduring gap between education providers and industry. This disconnect needs to be addressed as per the vision of Te Pūkenga. In particular, that the structure of law firms includes gendered practices that hinder recruitment and career progression need to be discussed with the students. Finally, this research demonstrates that online learning can be effective, particularly when strong relationships with teachers are maintained and communities of learning are facilitated.

text: Measuring the pedagogical shift: Small-scale review of the New Zealand Diploma in Legal Executive Studies (NZDipLEX) This research focuses on the fully online New Zealand Diploma in Legal Executive Studies (DipLEX) at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology (TOIT) that was first delivered in 2017. The development of an online program was enabled by the review of qualifications that changed the ownership of the qualification from industry bodies to a national framework. The online program has proven to be successful from an institutional perspective. Nevertheless, it has faced some criticism from the very industry bodies that took part in the initial review process that made the decision to remove industry control. Given this criticism and the review of vocational education and training (RoVE) it is timely to reflect on the qualification and its outcomes for graduates and its relationship to industry. The overarching purpose of this qualitative small-scale study is to evaluate the DipLEX to understand the benefits, if any, that have accrued from the use of constructivist approaches, including communities of learning and problem-based learning in the online environment; to explore the applicability of content and teaching techniques to the employment of legal executives; to determine the transferability of the skills and knowledge in the new DipLEX to legal practice, particularly in the short term (e.g., the first six months of employment); and to identify strengths and weaknesses of the DipLEX. To achieve these aims, interviews were held with five graduates and three employer representatives. The findings from these interviews included a range of sub-themes that stemmed from the overarching topics of learning and transition to work and in employment.
For the graduates, sub-themes included thoughts on the benefits and challenges of online learning, the benefits of applied learning and the graduates’ views on assessment structures, the role of the diploma in their job search, and initial employment and progression experiences. For the employers’ representatives’ the sub-themes included thoughts on the value of the diploma in law firms, the employers’ lack of understanding about the diploma, their wish list for the learning they would like to see included the diploma program and their views about online learning. Further sub-themes included the employers’ observations on firm-based practices within the profession of legal executives, including their recruitment, initial employment experiences, including the importance of professional development and career progression. Based on these findings discoveries of note were made in relation to (1) online learning, (2) disconnections between education and industry and (3) gender dynamics that provided a basis for recommendations to improve the experiences of students in the online DipLEX program. Despite extensive consultation and reviews, this research demonstrates an enduring gap between education providers and industry. This disconnect needs to be addressed as per the vision of Te Pūkenga. In particular, that the structure of law firms includes gendered practices that hinder recruitment and career progression need to be discussed with the students. Finally, this research demonstrates that online learning can be effective, particularly when strong relationships with teachers are maintained and communities of learning are facilitated.

year: 2022