Katene Rahui: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
Katene Rahui: Estimates Debate — In Committee 
[Volume:674;Page:20405] 
RAHUI KATENE (Maori Party—Te Tai Tonga) 
: 
 I am really pleased to be able to stand here on behalf of the Maori Party today to address the estimates for Vote Education and in particular to address the section from the report of the Education and Science Committee regarding charters. That report advises that about two-thirds of primary and intermediate schools have submitted valid charters and that the Secretary for Education has written to schools that have not submitted charters requiring the information that must be legally provided under section 144A of the Education Act 1989. 
At the risk of reverting to legalese I highlight the significance of charters for every school and indeed every community and our nation as a whole. The charter is the legal instrument between a board and the Minister that outlines how that school will give effect to the National Education Guidelines and all that falls within them. 
This includes the New Zealand curriculum which is what I will refer to in my korero today. The charter is a key report for every community which outlines the directions schools want to take and the plans they have to get there. It is critical for lifting performance and provides a plan that enables each student to achieve. 
Well actually that is how it is meant to work in theory but in practice what happens makes for very depressing reading. I am particularly saddened by a recent Education Review Office report which tells us that the performance of far too many schools across key principles of the curriculum is less than it could be. That report  
Directions for Learning: The New Zealand Curriculum Principles and Teaching as Inquiry 
 reveals that the least-evident principles were the Treaty of Waitangi cultural diversity coherence and future focus. 
I will read two key lines from that report. “It would be useful for schools to gain a more comprehensive view of the implications of the Treaty of Waitangi for school policy and practice. It would also be useful for schools to develop their understanding about the nature of the Treaty of Waitangi and cultural diversity principles”. 
Last Tuesday I released a member’s bill to ensure that any person signing up to any oath set out in statute may elect to state that they will uphold the Treaty of Waitangi. The rationale behind the bill is to recognise that the Treaty of Waitangi is New Zealand’s founding document and that the Government is committed to fulfil its obligations as a Treaty partner. Every school has an opportunity to lift up to the promise of the Treaty to make Treaty understanding and cultural awareness come alive in their classrooms. 
I highlight the significance also of the relationship to cultural competency. Learning to understand and value one’s own culture base is an important step towards being able to respect and value other people’s. That is why the Maori Party has been promoting in every sector we can the importance of cultural diversity associated with factors of quality and excellence. 
The Education Review Office report tells us that “Where there was evidence that schools were thinking about and incorporating the principle of cultural diversity into their curriculum students had opportunities to celebrate some of their cultural practices and to share knowledge of these with other students. By contrast where this principle was not highly evident there was little acknowledgement of students’ cultural heritage in school programmes and in the [school] environment.” Perhaps the most sobering statement in the whole report is that “A more inclusive approach to curriculum management would make learning more relevant for students from diverse cultural backgrounds.” 
This is exactly why we need to keep a vigilant overview on schools submitting charters so that we can see exactly how much progress is being achieved towards making learning relevant and meaningful to all students. Because Pakeha culture is so strong and secure it can sometimes be taken for granted. One might ask whether a fish can describe the sea in which it swims. Cultural competency recognises that there are many seas feeding into our global oceans. We must respect the unique cultural framework that each of us brings to the mix and there is no better place to do that than in our schools. No reira tena koutou katoa.