Reflections on a month in Aotearoa New Zealand
I’ve finished my time researching practical innovations in providing education and training in rural and remote communities. I came to Aotearoa New Zealand because of the high rates of participation in training particularly among learners with lower prior skills. It took me three years to get here due to travel restrictions in the pandemic. During this time, my interest broadened from training to education so there was a huge amount to cover in under four weeks. I’ve loved the opportunity to ‘zoom in and zoom out’ — discussing what the development of our human capital looks like in the modern world, and zooming into the experience of frontline leaders and learners.
Before applying for a Fellowship, I had read about the Treaty of Waitangi and expected to develop my understanding of how shapes policy and society in modern Aotearoa New Zealand. I didn’t expect that much of my time here would be spent discussing and reflecting on the relationship between the UK and Aotearoa New Zealand in the past, present and future — but I have hugely valued this unexpected element of my Fellowship.
I saw te ao Māori (the Māori world view) and matauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) in the design of policy as well as te reo (Māori language) in the name of every programme, school and conceptual frameworks. When overseas, I normally learn key words in the language out of respect to the host country. I initially felt uncomfortable doing so in Aotearoa/New Zealand given I was having conversations where everyone’s first language is English so it felt initially tokenistic to me. After my first few days, I learnt my introduction in te reo and how to pronounce Māori words, feeling self conscious and afraid of causing offense. The experience of discussing policy based around te ao Māori often felt like navigating a room of someone else’s house with the light off. But hosted by Te Aka Toitū Trust in the Eastern Bay of Plenty and seeing the Māori worldview in practice helped me make sense of the previous policy conversations that I had had earlier.
The passing of Queen Elizabeth II, patron of the Churchill Fellowship, during my time away provided further opportunity to reflection. Although thousands of miles away from national mourning in the UK, I heard the memories and the reflections of many New Zealanders during my meetings and travels. I learnt how she had supported Aotearoa/New Zealand in its journey to resolve injustices against Māori resulting from breaches of Te Tiriti or the Treaty of Waitangi, including signing the act compensating the Tainui tribe of Waikato for killings and seizure of land in the presence of the Māori Queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu. I felt a new appreciation for the global achievement of the Commonwealth and the collaboration a group of equal nations of different ethnicities and religions around common values.
Last few days: Visit to Minginui and Te Kura Toitū o Te Whaiti-nui-ā Toi with Te Aka Toitū Trust. Flight home via Melbourne and meeting with the Global Victoria to discuss education technology.
New few weeks: back to work at the Department for Education by day and writing up my report and an accompanying presentation/infographic for policy makers by night. Thank you letters to all those who gave their time, insight and more during my trip — and enjoying be home with my partner Alex and my cats.
What I’m taking home: my favourite Te Reo words — ‘kaupapa’ — principles and ideas which act as a base or foundation for action, linked; ‘whānau’ — translated as family but includes physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions. A teatowel of the native birds of New Zealand — I’ve only seen half of them so looks like I’ll need to come back some day!
