Can Māori Negotiate School Attendance in State-Led Education in Aotearoa, New Zealand?

Abstract

There is a conflict between the claims of Māori sovereignty and the imposition of State legislation on Māori children. This conflict of interest has been given very little consideration in the public sphere. This research-informed article speculates that despite legislation ensuring that education attendance is fixed as a legal obligation for all Primary and Secondary aged children, there is urgency to address if conceivably this is a deeply flawed assumption as it contradicts notions of tribal sovereignty. Cautiously, this article does not romanticise past positioning of Māori peoples, nor makes claims to indigenous righteousness, rather moves to suggest that State-led education belongs part of positive outcomes for Māori, however there must be negotiation to the terms and expectations for education attendance. This paper is a catalyst for future orientated discussion aiming to broaden what education can move to become in Aotearoa, New Zealand.