Classroom Kōrero: relationships and the delivery of Māori content in the New Zealand secondary school dance class

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article presents a critical consideration of the ways in which specialist dance teachers in New Zealand state secondary schools respond to curriculum expectations to incorporate Māori arts content into their lessons. Disparity between Māori and non-Māori achievement is evident in the state schooling system. More than 20% of students in New Zealand mainstream secondary schools are of Māori heritage, but Māori leave school early with fewer qualifications than non-Maori students. They are also disproportionately represented in suspension and exclusion statistics (Bishop 2012; Hauraki 2020; Ministry of Education 2006). There is a need to address the disparity in achievement occurring New Zealand classrooms. Understanding how teachers acknowledge diversity in their classrooms can make a fundamental contribution to understanding Māori students’ experiences of secondary school education. The main premise of this article is that teaching approaches connected to the delivery of Māori arts are informed by individual histories, teaching identity and the expectations of schools as institutions. Relationships inside and outside the learning environment are considered, along with the cultural positioning of the teacher, school, and curriculum. The research findings discussed in this article are the result of a critical Indigenous, kaupapa Māori, whakawhanaungatanga inquiry.