I have written a lot about New Zealand lately, in particular the schools and government attempt to force the teaching of "mtauranga Mori" into the science classroom as a system equal in value with modern science. Equal classroom time, but equal respect, is what that means. I am not dismissing the value of mtauranga Mori in some areas. Practical knowledge, like how to catch eels, could be included in science courses.
MM is an important part of the history and tradition of New Zealand. It should be taught in sociology classes. The larger titer of myth, legend, superstition, theology, and morality that is essential to MM cannot be taught in science classes. MM is also a creationist. The Mori creation myths are just as difficult to teach as the biological evolution myths.
You can get a free copy of the University of Auckland's brochure if you click on it. I have concluded four things after reading it twice.
A. There isn't any "there", it's all a bunch of chirpy ambitions about making the University a world thought leader, but without any tangible steps for doing so. I have never read a plan that was devoid of content.
A. You can't understand the Mori words unless you're proficient in the language.
A. The plan is to give over half the curriculum and teach MM to Mori, though they make up only 16.5% of the New Zealand population.
D. There is no mention of science in the plan except for a quote from the research and innovation page.
For industry, policymakers and community organizations, you should be a research partner.
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Promote and reward systems need to be reviewed to recognize the value of research.
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Staff and students need to be trained in research impact, engagement and science communication.
Upskill? Is that a word? You get the sense from the fine-sounding words that are in this screed, that there is no substance to them. The only time that science is mentioned in the entire vision statement is when the words "mtauranga Mori" are used six times. That is more than equal.
There was only one mention of science.
There are six mentions of MM.
What kind of vision plan doesn't say anything about science education?
The initial agreement between the Crown and Mori in the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi is what the deep-sixing of modern science in New Zealand is all about.
The pushback by minority groups is mostly about power, which is fine because oppression is a withdrawal of power. The government wants to give power to the indigenous people so that they get at least half the say in everything.
The government of the U.S. decided that Native Americans were given half the research funding for science and the other half to teach their way of knowing in science classes. This won't work, as times have changed. Most of MM can't be changed, and science steams its way forward. The government of New Zealand is so ridden with guilt that it is ready to hand over its universities and science to Mori, but this is not to say that Mori shouldn't have more power than they do already.
The money issue was not on my mind until I read the article below, written by a journalist named Graham Adams, at a website called Point of Order. The main goal of the drive to establish MM is the acquisition of money for Mori-centered research, which is half of all money allocated for research. It is a good way to hurt scientific progress in New Zealand. Adams is not talking about trying to interest Mori in modern scientific endeavors.
An excerpt.
In July of last year, seven professors wrote a letter to the Listener stating that indigenous knowledge is not science and therefore should not be included in the NCEA syllabus.
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In the five months since the letter was published, virtually no one has argued that mtauranga Mori is scientific.
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The debate should have been declared a victory for the professors and their supporters.
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This view was endorsed by the professors in their letter.
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If most people agree that mtauranga Mori is a worthwhile form of knowledge, the solution to the standoff over including it in the NCEA curriculum would be to teach it as a component of social studies. Not included in the science syllabus.
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You would think that everyone would win, since Mori knowledge would be taught in secondary schools.
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A simple accommodation of this kind was never going to be possible because the NCEA syllabus is just one of many policies that aim to make our science education system equal between Mori and non-M.
Status includes money.
More:
The NCEA syllabus is just one small step in fulfilling a much wider co-governance programme based on a radical view of the Treaty as a 50:50 partnership between the Crown and Maori. The advocates of incorporating Maori knowledge into the science curriculum can't afford to concede ground to the professors and their supporters in order to preserve their revolution.
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The push to promote indigenous knowledge cannot be allowed to fail at any level for fear that it will fail at every level.
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The project to gain parity for mtauranga Mori is detailed in Te Ptahitangi.
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It can be seen as a companion to the He Puapua report, which shows how a radical overhaul of the education system could be implemented.
The funding for Mori research is 2.5 times more weighted than that for non-Mori research. The U.S. will not prioritize research funding based on ethnicity. The practice was stopped when it became public and was seen as unfair by the public. Projects that involve Mori scientists could be funded. The NZ initiative is unlikely to get any funding other than for projects that combine modern science with MM.
The New Zealand government is making sure that the research quality and reputation of the entire country will go into the dumper, while the University of Auckland is making sure that it is a world-class research institute. For equity alone cannot justify these actions, it is mostly done out of guilt. Robin DiAngelo would make a pile in New Zealand.
I will give some examples of MM ways of knowing in the next part.
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