When the government announced that the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum would entail the compulsory teaching from 2023 of New Zealand histories, some of the responses from teachers were not positive. This brief essay discusses some of the anxiety expressed to me by secondary teachers who feel ill-equipped to undertake the curriculum changes, especially as they relate to the teaching of iwi Māori histories. Although we can debate who should teach such histories and how, my view is that if they are going to be taught, let’s do our best to shape our practice with tikanga – with aroha and respect for the mana and knowledge already held by tamariki and their wider school communities. Hopefully this essay will bolster the condence of teachers and help shape an approach to the teaching of iwi Maori histories. I am not going to discuss the actual curriculum, but instead my recent experience of teaching within an unfamiliar iwi landscape. I write to support our teachers, by sharing how I thought about and practically approached the relevant challenges.

   ​Ko Melissa Matutina ahau. E noho ana ahau kei te kainga o ōku tūpuna kei Whakarapa, Panguru. Ko Te Waiariki toku hapu. That is who I am and what drives me as an historian to research and retell stories about my kainga and my people. I am a historian who also happens to be a member of the Te Pouhere Korero whanau. With that background I was invited to facilitate a one-day workshop at Whangaroa in 2022. The workshop was organised for Whangaroa Papa Hapu, a collective researching its history to seek Crown restitution that will assist in the development of their iwi and rohe (see www.whangaroapapahapu.org.nz ). What follows is an account of my approach to that workshop, my perception of how it went on the day, and how the experience has convinced me that even though my knowledge of history is grounded in the relationship between me and my people and place, I can still traverse iwi Māori boundaries and assist in the teaching of other histories in a22 mana-enhancing way. To achieve that, I think that the teaching of iwi Māori histories requires tikanga, such as recognising the importance of aroha and mana in our engagement with iwi Maori groups and communities.

​​

Acknowledging your limits

​Although I have a doctorate in history and have lectured in Māori history at the University of Auckland, I felt a little nervous preparing a workshop for the people of Whangaroa. The workshop participants included two groups: pakeke who wanted to plan potential history research projects, and tauira who attend Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Whangaroa. The inclusion of tauira was intended to encourage their interest in Whangaroa history. My brief was to introduce ways that the participants could start researching without leaving Whangaroa, focusing on online sources.

   When I agreed to do the workshop, I wondered what types of history the participants would be interested in researching and whether the online sources I was familiar with would really o er them anything substantial. I felt disadvantaged by my lack of in-depth knowledge about the history of Whangaroa and my inability to speak fluently in te reo, especially with tauira who were fluent and were taught in te reo Māori. Acknowledging that I was not an ‘expert’ on their place and histories was an important part of my preparation for and eventual delivery of the workshop. Although I was not an authority on their history, what I could o er them was a deeper insight into the way that Whangaroa Māori and Māori in general have been historically represented. I could talk to them about the nature of different sources and how to be critical about what they read and would ultimately write. Knowing that our histories have been marginalised, I approached the workshop with aroha for the people and their kaupapa.

​​

Preparing for the workshop

​In preparation, I came up with some ice-breaker questions about what the participants thought history was, whether they believed national or local histories were more important, and what in particular they were interested in researching and why. I also printed out examples of sources related to Whangaroa from a variety of websites including Papers Past, The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives, Māori Land Online, and a simple Google search result. The aim was to both glean historical information or data from the online sources and introduce participants to the practice of critically analysing sources. I looked for short, engaging examples and made sure that the dates of publication and names of publishers and writers were clear. I also created a mock history thesis application, which called for a bit more thinking about their prospective research topics, and the methodology and ethics of writing history. The final document I prepared was a takeaway handout listing more online websites they could explore at home.

   I put together a PowerPoint presentation to introduce myself and a few other members of our Te Pouhere Korero whanau who had come to tautoko the workshop. I also made slides to provide some structure to the workshop. Slides with images and short quotes were created to illustrate ways Māori have been represented since the outset of colonisation and to support some thinking about how history is about power.

​​

The workshop

On the morning of the workshop, the kura welcomed us with a powhiri. The kura landscape reflected Whangaroa history, with pou and other representations of their past displayed throughout the grounds and within the wharehui. I quietly observed, acknowledging the mana of the tāngata whenua – their tupuna, whenua and generosity. I had been told that only te reo was spoken in most areas of the kura, so I did not formally introduce myself until the workshop began.

   I aimed to present the workshop with respect, humility and humour. It was my opportunity to formally acknowledge tangata whenua. I told them that they were the experts on their own rohe, not me. Throughout the ice-breakers I was sensitive to their needs, the emotions being expressed and the expectations of those participating. Amazing korero emerged from the pakeke about past claims against the Crown and why, for example, the histories of their ora and fauna were being collected for the purpose of utilising resources and skills for their future. My ‘nana humour’ (which I found hard to contain at the best of times) came to the fore when exploring the distinction between the past and history, and the many important purposes of history for our people. This informal approach helped lighten the reality of a heavy conversation.

​  My nana humour was also useful when engaging with tauira. I was a little more nervous working with them, mainly because it was a new experience. The rangatahi were receptive to the raw emotions expressed by their elders, yet were whakamā expressing themselves in a large group with their elders and manuhiri present. They worked well in small groups when we focused on the sources I had prepared for critical analysis. Wider themes in New Zealand history dipped in and out of our conversations as we considered why their tupuna were called Natives in official documents, or why their tupuna were portrayed as childlike. The rangatahi engaged and expressed an interest in learning more about their nannies and papas, but it was clear that they needed more time to consider what, if any, aspects of Whangaroa history were important to them in terms of future projects. Rather than force that process, after lunch, other members of our Pouhere whanau fielded questions from the tauira about how they became historians and what it was like.

​  My final session with the pakeke involved talking about their potential research projects and conducting some online searching around those topics. I am sure they found it reassuring to see me grapple with the technology, but of all the sessions I loved this one the most. I could see their eyes light up when they saw something familiar on the big screen the names and images of tupuna and places from their rohe. There were animated reactions to aspects of the historical material, some of which led on to investigation of specific websites, which I had already identified on a handout. As we wound down for the day, I was happy that I had provided a little toolkit for them to continue thinking about and researching their history. We did not make it all the way through the mock thesis application, but that was okay. The day ended with a round of mihi that expressed mutual appreciation and thanks between us all.

​​

Reflections on the workshop

​Reflecting on the workshop, I don’t think I would have done anything differently. It was a humble and aroha-driven approach that upheld the mana of those seeking out their histories, and the histories themselves. In a different context, such as an urban-based kura and group, I would have applied the same principles, but with an eye on the variations in events and place. Sure, the new curriculum may be challenging for some teachers. But perhaps teaching unfamiliar histories to those most connected and invested in that history should feel di cult. I would be worried if teachers thought it would be really easy. An array of good secondary and primary resources will always be helpful for teachers, but most crucial is the proactive development and use of ‘teaching tikanga’.