Tanya Utting, September 2023
In June, I attended this weeklong wānanga at Te Kauhanga marae in the Far North. This is one of a series of ongoing wānanga organised by the team from Taipa Area School, headed by DP Christian MacDonald.
Over the last four years at Taipa Area School, taonga pūoro has become its own standalone subject and a timetabled class. This has grown into an ongoing series of marae-based wānanga for taonga pūoro ākonga, and in turn, a model that can be replicated by other kura, marae and iwi, as well as providing professional development for teachers that attend. In this model, expert practitioners are invited to work with ākonga at the marae. Horomono Horo (Taonga Pūoro, Matauranga), Kylie Simeon (Raranga), Latoya Graham (Kapa Haka), Wiremu Sarich (Taakaro, Maramataka, Hauora), Billy Harrison (Waka Ama – Kaka) and Darrin Pivac (Whakairo) were some of the kaiako that I was fortunate enough to meet and learn from at this wānanga.
The approximately 50 ākonga who attended ranged from Years 7 – 13. Senior students were working towards NCEA credits in a wide range of Standards, from Taonga Pūoro, Kapa Haka, Whakairo, Raranga and Hospitality to Visual Art and Music, including credits in literacy and numeracy – there were up to 68 credits available for Year 11 learners (not counting level 2 and 3 Standards). Listening to students talking over the first couple of days, much of the chat was expressing excitement about the kai! The kitchen was run by Nicola Cameron and the Hospitality students, and the food was excellent and worth the anticipation.
During the day ākonga worked in groups, choosing different activity stations – I was able to help lash a waka, and make uku (clay) taonga pūoro (there were lots of choices). With a focus on relational pedagogies (for example tuakana/teina), the daytime atmosphere was relaxed and ākonga had the space to learn without the pressures of thinking about assessments or moving to a new classroom space every hour. The feel of each day changed around midafternoon, when the Kapa Haka emphasis of this wānanga kicked in. This end-of-the day kaupapa was more disciplined and focused as students worked towards learning a performance bracket. The highlight of the week was on the Thursday night when whānau came to the marae and experienced the mahi that their children had put in through a shared hangi (prepared by ākonga), a tour of the different kaupapa stations, and Kapa Haka, Dance and Taonga Pūoro performances that were videotaped to provide evidence of learning. The assessment side of the wānanga was not widely discussed over the week, it just quietly happened at the same time. It seemed like everything just took place naturally and without effort – but this wānanga kaupapa is underpinned by a substantial amount of work and planning by Christian and the team.
Holding Wānanga at the marae creates a safe space where ākonga can connect to the surrounding environment and learn authentically as Māori, away from the distractions and structure of the regulated school day. It is also a place where whānau felt comfortable to visit; it encouraged conversations about learning, and whānau were obviously proud to see what their children were able to achieve in a week. Over the week I especially enjoyed listening to the kōrero that naturally takes place at a marae, whether in the wharenui or the wharekai, and I learnt a lot through doing, watching and listening – experiencing how everybody interacted with each other.
I highly recommend attending a Taipa Area School wānanga – they are open for teachers, student teachers, researchers and anyone interested in attending. For more information about the kaupapa, see:
Gain, P., McDonald, C., Sarich, W., Kahukiwa, K., McDonald, C., Sarich, W., & Kahukiwa, K. (2022). Upholding indigenous difference in Arts education: Noho Marae Wānanga as akin to a “mana of economy” in education. Teachers and Curriculum, 22(1), 71–78. https://doi.org/10.15663/tandc.v22i1.394