Te Ārātai
They came to New Zealand in the late 1990s: a husband and wife, both teachers, bringing with them their young daughters and their dreams. New Zealand needed teachers then and they answered the call, leaving Europe behind for a country that felt warm, open and free.
She wanted to belong. She worked hard to learn te reo Māori and Māori culture herself, embracing it wholeheartedly so she could share it with her students. She wove Māori myths, legends and art projects into her lessons. It was not a requirement: it was her choice – a way to honour the land they now called home.
But, over time, something shifted.
She watched as Treaty of Waitangi studies became a daily ritual, even in the youngest classrooms. Children wrote their own ‘treaties’ describing how they should treat each other. Room numbers were replaced with te reo names. School house names became exclusively Māori. School songs are now sung only in te reo Māori.
To her, it felt as if students were being told they belonged only because of Māori. She began to hear children speak of ‘being Māori’ as if it were a mark of superiority over others. A quiet, covert racism was growing – unspoken but deeply felt.
She remembers a small girl in year three (seven years old) – devoutly religious – who would talk with innocent certainty about God creating the world. During Matariki art projects, she was given alternative work, but each day she still joined in the multiple karakia (Māori prayers) said throughout the school day. This teacher often wondered what her parents would think.
One such karakia to Rongo is chanted at whole school assemblies at the school where her husband teaches:
Māori:
Rongo te mauri Rongo te mauri
Rongo te mauri ki te whai ao ki te ao marama
Turuturu o whiti whakamaua kia tina!
Tina! Hui e! Taiki e!
English:
Rongo the life force, Rongo the life force
Rongo the life force into the world of light
Secure it firmly!
It is done! Draw together! It is done!
Meaning:
This karakia calls upon Rongo, the Māori god of cultivated food, peace and fertility. It acknowledges Rongo as the life force, calling for his essence to be brought into the world of light, and ends with a communal affirmation of unity and completion. In Māori tradition, it affirms connection with spiritual forces and nature’s bounty, seeking harmony and sustenance.
However, the children are never given a translation into English. They chant these words without knowing what they mean, nor why they are saying them.
The teacher reflects on how New Zealand’s state schools were once secular. She remembers a principal in the early 2000s who lost his job for mentioning Bible stories in class. He was a devout Christian and, for that alone, he was removed.
Now, she herself faces possible disciplinary action.
Earlier this year, she made a quiet comment on the Facebook page of New Zealand First, a mainstream conservative political party led by Right Honourable Winston Peters, who is himself Māori. It was a video of Mr Peters discussing proposed changes within education.
In her comment she expressed concerns about the Māorification of the education system.
She also mentioned to Winston Peters that the Teaching Council had made a parliamentary submission opposing the Treaty Principles Bill on behalf of all teachers. Her union, NZEI Te Riu Roa (New Zealand Educational Institute), had done the same.
But her words did not remain small.
Another teacher’s husband saw her comments and reported her to the Teaching Council of New Zealand, the national professional and disciplinary body for teachers.
Since April, she has heard nothing further. Yet she knows it hangs over her. She has joined the Free Speech Union, which has written to the Teaching Council on her behalf and will stand beside her if needed.
She says softly, but firmly:
I came here to teach, to integrate, to honour Māori culture by learning its language myself and sharing it with my students. But now, we are creating divisions that will become clearer with each passing year.
I do not want to be the instrument of indoctrination of children. I am a teacher, I want to teach knowledge and be a role model by respecting and honoring ALL students in my classroom equally. That is my job, that is what I trained towards.
We have become a divided nation. That was not the case before.
Note: Both teachers’ identities have been anonymised to protect their employment and careers. Sharing this testimony honours their voice without placing them at risk.
