Whanau o te Whenua

Tu Tangata, Issue 26, 1 October 1985, Page 14

Whanau o te Whenua

- a school case study in Timaru

Mountainview High School is a new form three seven co-education secondary school in Timaru on a magnificent 9 hectare landscaped site with views of the surrounding countryside, city and the sea. Our former site was a cramped inner city site of asphalt, concrete and brick with precious little green space or garden. Those conditions were less than ideal for fostering pride in oneself and one’s environment. The new school has allowed this to develop.

The new school is a whanau school based on three whanau blocks capable of accommodating up to 250 students each. The staff were keen to develop the philosophy of the whanau principle. Obviously a starting point, which emerged from a teacher only day in 1982, when we heard of developments at Hillary College, was the naming of the school and the various buildings. Discussions about the naming of the new school lasted for a long time. Finally the Board of Governors’ decision was Mountainview, in keeping with our panoramic vista.

After consultations with members of the Maori community we settled on names for the whanau blocks. Whanau o te Hiwi, the family of the hills, has a mountain outlook. The interior decoration follows the theme of the reds found in the sunrises and sunsets on the Southern Alps. Whanau o te Whenua, the family of the land has the plains and downlands as its outlook, from which comes the suggestion of yellows and browns for the interior decoration. The third Whanau block, with its outlook towards the sea, is named Whanau o te Moana, and has blue as its colour theme.

At about the same time as all these exciting developments were taking place, a Vietnamese family arrived in Timaru. Three children enrolled at our school. Their english skills were practically nil. They knew fewer than one hundred english words. How were they to cope and how were we to cope? We were grateful to the Department for an English as a Second Language Teacher who took these three students by themselves for ESL. Also there was an appointment of a local ESL advisor (teacher) for South Canterbury and the supervisor for the Southern Region. Mountainview High School staff were asked if a teacher would act as a link between the local advisor and the regional advisor.

All these special efforts by the Department for three students caused people to think why this special attention when we have other culturally different people who have just as many language difficulties? What of our Chinese, Dutch, Polish and more particularly and greater in our Maori students. Staff were becoming aware of the need to consider a multi-cultural approach to education.

introducing aspects of bi-cultural education to Timaru people who traditionally are very conservative and who suffer from white racism (see a later note) had to be done very slowly. Some people feel that the naming of the Whanau blocks was enough for the community to get used to. Mispronounciations still abound and likewise mis-spellings. However there is an acceptance and a pride in our different, new school, with its Maori names component.

In 1985 a further move was made to introduce other Maori names e.g. Whare Takaro (Gymnasium) Whare Ako (Experience Unit) Whare Mahi (Art and Crafts) and Whare Wanaga (Senior Science and Home Economics) This set of signs appeared with no special announcment. Most people accepted them and they have become a source of pride when showing visitors around the school. Perhaps the best example of con-

sultations with the Maori community was the regional PPTA meeting held at Mountainview in July 1984 to discuss “Taha Maori” what it is? Why have it in our schools? Who is available to help teach it? As the PPTA had at that time no local Maori members there was no awareness of how to welcome without offending our visitors. The meeting could be described as a stumbling first contact for the Regional organization of PPTA. It was an historic occasion from which we could develop to better things.

One outcome of this meeting was that a group of teachers at Mountainview decided to learn Maori. Weekly lessons based on the rakau method lasted throughout the winter. In term three the lessons developed into discussions on how to run a wananga. The local Maori community had been fired up with enthusiasm by a very successful wanaga held at Kurow in the school. They were keen to have another.

Te Whanau Wananga O Te Maru committee was set up with a membership of over 20 interested people. The first meeting was held in late October where suspicions and distrust were apparent a difference between the tangata whenua of Temuka and the North Island migrant families who had settled in Timaru. But once the local kaumatua Mr Jacko Reihana had spoken and given his blessing the attitudes changed. There was openess of discussion. Reprimands occured. The meeting quickly moved into ‘taha pakeha' procedures. Sub committees were set up. A date was set, 30 November —2 December. Weekly meetings followed. The working together as a team developed into a fine and highly satisfactory level.

The wananga was held in the gymnasium at Mountainview. Over 300 mattresses were spaced around the gymnasium. The Home Economics department became the wharekai. The number of day visitors rose to over five hundred. The local newspaper devoted editorial space to the successful whananga and paid tribute to the community. These sorts of positive statements are sorely needed in Timaru because of the high profile racism has had in this city. An example of this is seen in the attempted purchase of a

disused school in June Street as an urban marae. Local residents immediately set up a petition to prevent this. The letters to the editor revealed just how blatant white racism is in Timaru.

Secondly, the nation-wide coverage in the media of Timaru KKK revealed another side of white racism, the insensitivity to racial and cultural differences.

Are our schools in fact fostering white racism? A similar conclusion might have been reached when looking at the numbers of non-pakeha children who are expelled from our Timaru secondary schools.

Many felt that the wananga had to be a success if only to counter the ugly incidents that had occurred between KKK and members of minority group such as Maori, Vietnamese and Chinese. Obviously one way to make it successful was to involve as many people as possible in the planning stages. Students from both Temuka and Mountainview High Schools regularly attended practise sessions.

An added incentive was the visit of the Raukawa School's (Waahi Marae at Huntly) cultural group to Temuka for two days before the wananga. A group of our students attended the concert. They were impressed and wanted the immediate introduction of a Maori cultural goup at our school. We had in fact set up a language group as a Wednesday afternoon activity group. Members of the Maori Woman’s Welfare League were teaching the language by the rakau method. Unfortunately the demand for this elective declined with the changeover to the winter sports session. There was also the problem of an untrained and unqualified person trying to cope with varying levels of knowledge.

The Race Relations Conciliator paid the school a visit. This also had the effect of arousing interest in things Maori.

Maori Language Week in 1984 was seen by at least one teacher as being a time to focus on language by way of posters and art work. These were displayed in the commons of Whanau o te Moana.

A further development arising out of the wananga was the expressed need for a teacher of Maori language in Timaru schols. How do we go about getting the services of an Itinerant Teacher of Maori? The writer set up a meeting with local Maori leaders and

the Southern Regional Office for Maori Education, Graeme Botting. The Timaru Maori Community Officer, Bill Bartlet; the chairman of the Whanau Wananga Committee, Hemi Ruwiu; and the chairman of Timaru Maori Wardens, Bruce Tao attended along with the writer and the Guidence Counsellor, Leo Hanson. Graeme outlined the possibilities and left us to do the homework.

This resulted in a questionaire being sent to all the secondary schools in South Canterbury asking them if they would be interested and how many hours they would be able to give such a person. The response was disappointing. One school said it would give three hours for form three language and one hour for activities. A second school was prepared to give two hours on a basis similar to the itinerant music scheme. A third school said it could give two hours a week.

The issue of the itinerant teacher of Maori arose at the taha maori inservice course, Ist May held at Mountainview. A summary of the questionaire returns was presented. Many principals are concerned about falling rolls and how they can protect existing staff rather than how they can employ new staff. The advisor for Maori in primary schools, Bill Gillies heard these comments and suggested an extension of the survey into the primary schools. The principal of the Community College Herb Harrison heard the comment, that perhaps the Community College might be able to help. He indicated to the writer that he would be very interested.

The taha maori in-service course gave many teachers the opportunity to experience a powhiri which included the karanga, whaikorero, waiata and hongi. Reactions ranged from culture shock to when can we have another course. Perhaps the biggest thrill to the course chairman (the writer) was the response from the local Maori community when asked to take part. Every Maori group was represented with at least one member. Both Mountainview and Temuka High Schools had student input in the powhiri. Kohanga reo students added a truly family atmosphere to the occasion.

At about the same time a staff forum decision, ‘That we support the establishment of a position itinerant teacher of Maori in South Canterbury' was passed. A later staff forum supported the motion ‘That we support the establishment of a local marae'.

The second motion was framed as a result of the actions of the Timaru Maori Committee who have presented submissions to the Minister of Lands, Maori Affairs and Education about obtaining a piece of land for an urban marae complex in Timaru. Such a complex is seen as essential in providing a focus for things Maori in Timaru and possibly making it easier for South Canterbury schools to gain the services of an itinerant teacher of Maori.

Other developments include the principal’s policy to open any full school assembly with a greeting in Maori. Students and staff now accept this as being the norm.

Maori language week was celebrated by two whanau assemblies inviting in guest speakers. A third whanau assembly put on a skit about international tourists arriving at Auckland airport to be greeted in Maori only. Many social studies classes did posters and some have made a special study of the language via tapes while fifth form history classes did pen sketch studies of famous Maori leaders. A press photographer came to visit the school which resulted in a front page photograph in the local paper.

Our nearest primary school has seven teachers enrolled at the Community College's Maori language class. They are actively promoting Maori language in their school.

Also during the last month of term two we had a student teacher in our school who had done bone carving at Teachers College. His enthusiasm and willingness to run a bone carving class before school on Fridays soon had many involved. The greatest spin-off has been that people, previously less than enthusiastic about things Maori are now very enthusiastic about Maori designs. Bone carving is also something that people of all ability levels can take part in.

Important first steps have been made. We have still the problem of sensitizing the whole staff to minority group values. Being aware of cultural differences is not just a social studies job. It is a school wide task. All teachers must be involved. There is no doubt that the new school environment has helped a tremendous amount. It would have been very difficult to bring about these changes in the cramped inner city site. We have a happy school climate where there is a far more tolerant atmosphere of differences.

This paper was prepared by R Devlin, PR. Social Studies, for the National course for the Federation of Social Studies Teachers Association, to be held in October at Lopdell House, Auckland.