Pūtoi Ako FAQs

Q1: What is the Pūtoi Ako Working Group?

Pūtoi Ako is a Curriculum Framework Transformation (CFT) working group operating under the sponsorship and direction of the PVC Māori. Pūtoi Ako seeks to give effect to the aspirations of Taumata Teitei: Vision 2030 and Strategic Plan 2025 for students to meaningfully engage with te ao Māori. Taumata Teitei states that, in terms of education and student experience, “through the curriculum, and through the richness of experiences of University life, students will be highly connected to knowledges of place and conversant in mātauranga Māori, kaupapa Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and accountabilities”.

Pūtoi Ako has drawn on existing work from our University and partners alongside new initiatives to create the conditions for embedding kaupapa Māori pedagogies, Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and accountabilities, and mātauranga Māori into curricula and pedagogies. As part of the proposed Curriculum Framework Transformation, Pūtoi Ako has made Recommendations for Curriculum Structure including te reo Māori pronunciation screening and a “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course (for further details please see FAQ 2 and 3). Pūtoi Ako has also proposed Emerging Recommendations for Discussion which include research-informed mātauranga pathways, Māori leadership, and building upon and strengthening core learning (for further details please see FAQ 5, 6 and 12).

Pūtoi Ako seeks to ensure:

• Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland will be a place where te reo Māori can flourish and where mātauranga Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi are valued, fostered, protected and used responsibly by us all 
• accessible, equitable lifelong higher education opportunities that improve retention and progression for Māori students that learning and teaching is guided by leaders in kaupapa Māori pedagogies, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and mātauranga Māori. 
• Te ao Māori is reflected in the student experience at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland
• Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland’s commitment to the relationality inherent in Te Tiriti o Waitangi is visible and actively supported for staff and students in all Faculties and units 
• that teaching and learning models support the delivery of Māori-focused curriculum content. These will give effect to the education and student experience aspirations of Taumata Teitei and reflect the foundational relationship with tangata whenua

Alongside Taumata Teitei: Vision 2030 and Strategic Plan 2025, Pūtoi Ako will operate in ways consistent with institutional frameworks and plans at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland such as Waipapa Toitū Framework, Te taonga nō tua whakarere, he taonga mō āpōpō: The University of Auckland Language Plan for the Revitalisation of Te Reo Māori 2020–2025, the Refreshed Graduate Profile and TeachWell.

Q2: Can you tell me more about te reo Māori pronunciation screening for all students which is a proposed change in Curriculum Framework Transformation?

Pūtoi Ako proposes amending the curriculum structure by introducing te reo Māori pronunciation screening delivered online. This will sit alongside the current DELNA (Diagnostic English Language Needs Assessment) screening and the Academic Integrity Course as a third zero-point requirement for all students. This is not a Māori language course; its main focus is pronunciation.

If the proposed recommendation is accepted, student results will not exclude them from their enrolled courses but te reo Māori pronunciation screening has a completion deadline at the end of first year of enrolment. Candidates who do not reach the minimum cut scores in the screening will be assisted to meet requirements.

Q3: What is the proposed undergraduate “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course and what will it look like?

Pūtoi Ako proposes amending the curriculum structure through the introduction of a 15-point “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course to be completed by all undergraduate students in their first year of study at this institution. This proposed recommendation is to ensure students receive the foundational learning that provides Māori-focused curriculum content and Te Tiriti o Waitangi education.

Further, the “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course will ensure all students have the relevant knowledges of place to enhance their learning as envisioned in Taumata Teitei. This proposed course could provide an opportunity to assist undergraduate programmes to embed the refreshed graduate profile into the core of their teaching and learning.

This proposed recommendation will assist to give effect to Taumata Teitei and help to meet our broader institutional obligations contained in the Tertiary Education Strategy (a statutory document issued under the Education and Training Act 2020).

If the proposed recommendation is accepted, there will be several Faculty-based “Waipapa Taumata Rau” courses which will contain a mix of core shared content but also material tailored by Faculties to meet the curriculum and pedagogical needs of their undergraduate students. Some Faculties may opt not to offer their own Faculty-based “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course, instead requiring their students to complete an undergraduate “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course offered by another Faculty. Faculties may be able to adapt an existing Stage 1 course to align with the required 15-point “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course model. Faculties may need to refresh programmes in light of the proposed “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course to ensure a connected experience for students.

If the proposed recommendation is accepted, conjoint students will only be required to complete a single 15-point “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course and the requirement can be fulfilled within either of their undergraduate degrees. If they have not already completed a “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course, graduate diploma students are exempt and instead are required to take the zero-point postgraduate version of “Waipapa Taumata Rau” or equivalent in their first year of enrolment.

Q4: What does a proposed zero-point postgraduate version of the undergraduate “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course or equivalent involve?

Pūtoi Ako proposes amending the curriculum structure through the introduction of a zero-point postgraduate version of the “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course (or equivalent) in the first-year enrolment for all students who have not already completed the undergraduate course. This proposed requirement could be met as part of an induction process or online course for all postgraduates which could be offered centrally or at the Faculty level.

The intent is to ensure all postgraduate students have been introduced to relevant knowledges of place and Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and accountabilities to enhance their study at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland. This proposed recommendation will assist to give effect to Taumata Teitei and help to meet our broader institutional obligations outlined in the Tertiary Education Strategy (a statutory document issued under the Education and Training Act 2020).

Q5: Do ‘mātauranga pathways’ mean designed / delivered by Māori for Māori? Is it an alternative pathway? Would it be exclusive to Māori?

The Waitangi Tribunal Report WAI 262 maintains that we all in Aotearoa New Zealand have a responsibility to safeguard Māori knowledge and culture. This does not mean that we all can or should become Māori knowledge (mātauranga) experts or teachers. It does mean that as a publicly funded knowledge-production and knowledge-keeping institution we act as guardians of Māori knowledge, language and culture as determined by and with Māori scholars and experts in the University and other communities (that is, rangatiratanga). Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland can and should play a leading role in the support and training of, and teaching by, foremost Māori knowledge holders.

There are a number of mātauranga pathways offered by the university. Mātauranga pathways are opportunities to attract, nurture, and retain all students who seek to be taught by Māori knowledge experts, and to develop as leaders in their communities. These pathways will be made up of linked courses across and within Faculties that designate themselves as mātauranga pathway courses; the number of these courses will increase over time as Māori staffing levels improve. Mātauranga courses will be made visible to students as they choose their options. Our mātauranga pathways will not only produce qualified scholars of mātauranga, but will become models for international and national universities as they orient themselves to indigenisation processes.

Q6: What is the difference between the proposed undergraduate “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course and “mātauranga pathways”? Would they be connected in any way?

The proposed undergraduate “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course and “mātauranga pathways” are connected in that they both seek through the curriculum and teaching model to reflect the value and recognition that Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland accords to Māori knowledges and ways of knowing, and the relationality of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The proposed “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course is compulsory and foundational for undergraduates whereas mātauranga pathways are optional and offer in-depth knowledge.

It is proposed that the 15-point “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course is an undergraduate requirement for all students in their first year of study at Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland. It is designed to provide foundational core learning in ways which are relevant and appropriate to a student’s degree or programme of study (for more information, please see FAQ 3).

As a knowledge institution we have the responsibility and honour to develop, nourish and protect the Māori-led revitalisation of mātauranga. Mātauranga pathways are optional for students who seek to be taught by Māori knowledge experts and to develop as leaders in their communities. Mātauranga pathways comprise linked courses across and within Faculties (for more information, please see FAQ 5). Undergraduate students who opt into a mātauranga pathway will be required to complete a 15-point “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course. Postgraduate students who opt into a mātauranga pathway will be required to complete a proposed zero-point postgraduate version of “Waipapa Taumata Rau” or equivalent in the first-year enrolment if they have not already completed the undergraduate course (for more information, please see FAQ 3 & 4).

Q7: We would like to understand how we are meant to implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi throughout the curriculum–and we note that this could be quite a radical change for Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland. What does this mean in terms of an educational experience?

It is worth pointing out that Te Tiriti o Waitangi is not just now being ‘implemented’ by Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland; Te Tiriti o Waitangi was implemented in 1840. The current institutional plan and vision contained in Taumata Teitei reflects the changing legislative and regulatory environment which falls under the Education and Training Act 2020. One of the purposes of the Act is to establish and regulate an education system that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi and supports Māori-Crown relationships. Section 9 sets out the main provisions of the Act in relation to the Crown’s responsibility to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. The Tertiary Education Strategy is a statutory document issued under the Education and Training Act 2020 which seeks to ensure education sector strategies, behaviours, actions, services and resourcing reflect a collective commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Each discipline / faculty will continue to explore how Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and accountabilities might affect their students’ curriculum and pedagogical experience. In general terms, we might expect that all teaching staff have good Māori pronunciation, accurate historical knowledge about Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and understand that Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland has a responsibility to ensure education is responsive to meeting the needs and aspirations of Māori students and their whānau. We might expect that Māori students—indeed, all students—will experience the Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland as a positive place where their knowledge and leadership are valued.

Q8: What ways are kaupapa Māori pedagogies already evident in courses and programmes across Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland?

Kaupapa Māori pedagogies are being enacted in a range of practices at Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland. They remind us that teaching should and can be a central focus in Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland; that how we learn is as important as what we learn.

In their broadest terms, kaupapa Māori pedagogies:

• are primarily relational. They consciously nurture the development of positive relationships between teachers and students, between colleagues, and amongst students
• are not contained within the teaching or meeting space. They extend beyond the immediate instructional moment to the lives and needs of the students and the teachers, understanding that we are all part of wider systems that affect us as teachers and learners
• give expression to aroha, an attitude or orientation of care, empathy, engagement and responsibility inherent in qualities / values whanaungatanga, manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga. For instance, they understand the central role of emotion and humour in teaching and learning
• take seriously ‘where the students are at’. That is, they are not compatible with an instructional style that pays no attention to ‘who is in the room’, what they already know, and what they want to know
• pay attention to place and context. At Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland city campus, for instance, they recognise that learners and teachers are located in Aotearoa, Tāmaki Makaurau and on the whenua of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. They understand that teaching and learning today in Aotearoa New Zealand is located within a social and cultural history that affects all aspects of teaching and learning
• pay attention to the correct use of Māori language, its meanings and pronunciation—led by Māori. They create / enable safe and supported spaces, and properly recognised opportunities, for Māori leadership in relation to te reo and mātauranga
• are Māori led, on Māori terms. They do not assume or expect Māori will provide leadership on demand. They open opportunities for Māori leadership, at the same time accepting that those opportunities may be refused
• reward existing internal Māori expertise
• enable the employment of, and consultation with, external knowledge holders where necessary
• recognise relational teaching as a pre-eminent skill for Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland teachers

Q9: Non-native speakers of English (staff and students, especially international students) will struggle with Māori pronunciation and will find the proposed compulsory online pronunciation screening difficult.

Our experience suggests the contrary. We find that non-native English speakers often find Māori pronunciation relatively easy. The people who struggle most with Māori language pronunciation tend to be those born in Aotearoa New Zealand (who have to re-educate their tongues after decades of incorrect pronunciation), and English as a first language immigrants (some of whom can find some vowel sounds difficult to reproduce).

Q10: Why is Māori knowledge being given such a central place in the Curriculum Framework Transformation? How is it compatible with a secular institution like the university and science?

The wider regulatory environment both at a national and institutional level views Māori knowledges and Te Tiriti o Waitangi relationships as essential and has prioritised them as such. The Education and Training Act 2020 recognises and respects the Crown’s responsibility to give effect to “establishing and regulating an education system that honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi and supports Māori-Crown relationships”. Tertiary Education Commission is required by the Act to give effect to the Tertiary Education Strategy (TES) through the investment process. The TES sets out the Government’s current and medium-term priorities, and long-term strategic direction and the Taumata Teitei aligns to these. The TES seeks to enhance the contribution of research and mātauranga Māori in addressing local and global challenges.

Māori knowledge is holistic, and as such goes beyond the rationalism of science. Māori knowledges are also compatible with science in that they entail, for instance, the use of data and evidence and testing in relation to the natural and social world. Mātauranga elements and courses can exist alongside and within science courses; they do not necessarily contradict each other - they can provide different information. Karakia express Māori knowledge; they play the role of bringing people together, focusing meetings and conversations, and encouraging positive relationships. These are all elements crucial to successful research and teaching and learning engagements.

Q11: How is Taumata Teitei different from what we have done in the past as far as Māori students are concerned? Isn’t it all about retaining Māori (and Pacific) students and helping them achieve better, just dressed up in different language?

Taumata Teitei signals a response to the need to do something different from the past. Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland for more than 20 years has been concerned about improved recruitment, retention and achievement for Māori and Pacific students. We have not been very successful with this aim. Now is an opportunity for a new approach.

Q12: Can you provide further information about the “building upon and strengthening core learning” emerging recommendation in the curriculum framework?

“Building upon and strengthening core learning” (in terms of mātauranga Māori, kaupapa Māori pedagogies and/or Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and accountabilities) is a proposed emerging recommendation in the Curriculum Framework. It recognises that where relevant and appropriate, staff, disciplines and Faculties might be encouraged and supported to build on the curriculum and pedagogy introduced in the undergraduate “Waipapa Taumata Rau” course, extending it into other courses in their programme. Pūtoi Ako hopes the emerging recommendation will strengthen a connected experience for those interested students throughout their learning at Waipapa ‎Taumata ‎Rau | University of Auckland.