A bicultural consensus at last?

Wally Penetito believes NZers have reached an historic consensus that has elevated biculturalism to a reality rather than a goal.

The Victoria University Faculty of Education Professor, who gave his inaugural professorial lecture on Tuesday 24th March, says the Maori party’s prominence in the National-led government is just one of the signs that kaupapa Maori (Maori knowledge and philosophy) has moved beyond its radical beginnings, and is now gaining acceptance by the mainstream.

Prof. Penetito discussed what this watershed means for NZers in his lecture titled Where are we now in Maori education?

“The revitalisation of the Maori language and culture and the healing processes generated by the activities of the Waitangi Tribunal have brought about a new sense of belonging, an enlivened spirit that draws on the best of both worlds,” says Prof. Penetito.

He traces this change to the beginnings of the “kaupapa Maori” movement in education around 1980. He says there is an emerging new consensus in education-and wider society-based on fairness, equality and a great deal of jostling from Maori quarters.

“It is a system premised on the acceptance of the need for all NZ citizens to be able to walk confidently and knowingly in the two cultures that are the founding cultures of the nation.”

Prof. Penetito notes that symbolic changes – such as the adoption of “Kia ora” and “Aotearoa” into common expression – have been matched by institutional change, such as the emergence of Maori Television and the Maori Party.

“The creation of a Maori Party operating successfully in parliament is an enormous achievement by both Maori and all other constituents.”

Prof. Penetito says developments in education have branched out into other areas of society. Where they were generated by Maori activism, they have gradually been accepted by the mainstream.

“We have woken up to the fact that biculturalism is more than just a slogan we are playing with. It is real, and it is happening everywhere.”

Victoria University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pat Walsh says Prof. Penetito is an outstanding researcher, teacher, and leader in his field.

“This is a notable appointment both for Victoria University, the Faculty of Education and for Maori in education. Prof. Penetito has had a distinguished career in education, and has been at the forefront of attempts to improve the education system’s responsiveness to Maori needs and aspirations.”

Prof. Walsh says Victoria’s Inaugural Lecture series is an opportunity for new professors to provide family, friends, colleagues and the wider community with an insight to their specialist area of study.

“It is also an opportunity for the university to celebrate and acknowledge our valued professors.”

Prof. Penetito began teaching as a senior lecturer at Victoria University in 1998 after a long career in education. He has also provided policy and development advice to government departments on matters relating to Maori Education.

In addition, he is co-director of He Parekereke: Institute for Research and Development in Maori and Pacific Education at Victoria and helped establish Nga Pae o te Maramatanga (the Maori Centre of Research Excellence) based at the University of Auckland.