Te Käkano i ruia mai i Rangïatea,

Kua kore e ngaro.

Te Käwai Ora

Reading the world,

Reading the word,

Being the world.

Report of the Mäori Adult Literacy Working Party

To Hon Tariana Turia

Associate Minister Mäori Affairs

August 2001

Foreword

In the early nineteenth century, Mäori were prodigious readers and writers in te reo Mäori and English. Today’s Mäori communities have identified low levels of literacy among adults as an issue that they urgently want to address. The results of the 1996 International Adult Literacy Survey confirm that many Mäori adults need to be operating at a much higher level of literacy to participate as they would wish in their whänau, hapü, iwi and in wider New Zealand society. Too much Mäori potential is currently being wasted.

I believe that literacy is a social, political and economic necessity. Mastery of literacy skills is important for self-esteem and vital for whänau development, helping to build the strong families of the future. Literacy gives people the power to function fully as citizens who are critically literate in their history and in the world. High levels of literacy also contribute to people getting sustainable and more highly skilled jobs. Mäori intend to play a key role in the knowledge economy, and are working to make sure that they have the skills to do it.

This report, Te Käwai Ora: reading the world, reading the word, being the world, represents the combined thinking of leading adult literacy providers and academics who are expert in mätauranga Mäori and kaupapa Mäori.

The report argues that for Mäori, successful learning depends on identifying solutions that accord with Mäori values. Those working with Mäori learners need to take into account Mäori definitions, priorities, and teaching and learning styles. This point is not merely ideological; it is a recipe for success. Te Käwai Ora celebrates the flax roots initiatives through which Mäori organisations are transforming the present and which point the way for the future of Mäori adult literacy learning.

I hope and believe that Te Käwai Ora will stimulate debate and new awareness in this field.

Hon Tariana Turia

Associate Minister of Mäori Affairs (Social Development)

Table of Contents

Foreword2

Executive Summary 4

Terms of Reference 15

Recommendations 16

Introduction 19

Chapter One – How do we define a literate Mäori? 26

Chapter Two– How do we define Literacy? 34

Chapter Three – Policy 42

Chapter Four – Stakeholder Profiles 51

ProfileLiteracy Aotearoa

ProfileWorkbase

ProfileThe Correspondence School

ProfileTe Wänanga o Raukawa

ProfileTe Ataarangi

ProfileTe Köhanga Reo

Chapter Five Programme Effectiveness and Best Practice 65

ProfileWhäia Te Ara Tika

ProfileTe Whare Ako

Chapter Six – Other Matters 81

Chapter Seven – Conclusion 89

Appendix One – Methodology 91

Appendix Two – Reference Group Members 92

Executive Summary

Terms of Reference

  1. To advise Ministers on effective policy interventions with regard to improving the literacy outcomes of adult Mäori;
  2. To provide expert advice on appropriate interventions for Mäori to achieve key goals of the Adult Literacy Strategy;
  3. To identify Adult Literacy Programmes that are effective for Mäori and models of best practice in the area;
  4. To consider the appropriateness of developing a specific Mäori strategy for adult literacy; and
  5. To identify and explore issues specific to the brief of improving the literacy outcomes of adult Mäori, not covered by the Terms of Reference listed above, which warrant consideration.

Major Recommendations

  1. That the Adult Literacy Strategy, as articulated in More Than Words, is reconceptualised and rewritten forthwith;
  2. That the new strategy views education and literacy more broadly;
  3. That literacy in Aotearoa is redefined in the new strategy as a Treaty-based concept of biliteracy, based in te reo Mäori and the English language;
  4. That literacy is defined in the new strategy thus: “Literacy is the lifelong journey of building the capacity to ‘read’ and shape Mäori and other worlds”.

In order to give effect to these recommendations a set of strategies is recommended. These strategies are premised on the view that the new strategy will continue to seek to develop capability, improve quality systems and increase opportunities for literacy learning. They include recommendations on: legislation, a policy framework, policy work programmes, capacity building, quality indicators, standards, funding, pathways, resources, communication strategy and networking.

Introduction to the Report

Näu te rourou, näku te rourou,

ka ora te manuhiri.

From your food basket and from mine,

The well-being of the people will be assured.

At the edge of the third millennium how do we view the task of nation building? What do we understand about the rights and responsibilities of ‘citizenship’ in this society at this time? How do we create a society that is just, equitable and fair and is based in the lived reality of social and economic inclusion, rather than the rhetoric of it? These are vital questions of the day.

These are the kinds of questions which ‘literacy’ addresses. Literacy is, at its very heart, a pivotal component of nation building. Fully realized, it enables people to take part in the fullness of the society that they live in. In this report it speaks to the fullness of the meaning of literacy that is expressed in the title “Te Käwai Ora: reading the world, reading the word, being the world”. The title has emerged as a natural expression of the discussions of the group. It begins in Mäori, and is accompanied by an English subtitle. They are not translations of each other; they are interdependent and each is needed in order for the full meaning to be gleaned. They speak to the possibilities of biliteracy and biculturalism that are central features of our journey towards nationhood.

The title identifies critical themes about literacy. These are the social and historical contexts in which literacy is understood; the skill bases that literacy, when broadly defined, encompasses, and the competencies that the literate person is able to demonstrate. The report speaks to the significance of each of these ideas in a range of settings, from policy to programmes. The ancient wisdoms expressed in the whakataukï ‘näu te rourou, näku te rourou, ka ora te manuhiri’ provide insights into how literacy can contribute to the goals of national development in Aotearoa. The ‘rourou’ referred to in this context is nothing less than Aotearoa itself, a diverse society; indeed, one comprising many ‘rourou’. The themes of ‘authenticity’, ‘inclusion’ and ‘partnership’ emerge from the proverb.

It will take more than one rourou to feed the people: that speaks to the need for partnership to be paramount. The Treaty of Waitangi is fundamental to the nation building process of Aotearoa and it provides an excellent model for the exercise of partnership. Importantly, it provides an inclusive model that enables everyone to have a place and to be provided for in our society. More than a passing notion, the ‘well-being’ of the people is premised on this. There is no sense of uniformity suggested by this, no need for ‘one size fits all’. The gifts of each rourou are accepted and valued for the diversity that they represent. Our society is enriched by that diversity and our challenge is to engage it.

The Adult Literacy Strategy

Speaking at the launch of the Adult Literacy Strategy, the Associate Minister of Education, Hon. Marian Hobbs, introduced her comments by noting that there were at least two consequences for New Zealand for the low levels of adult literacy reported. The first was that when people in the workforce had literacy difficulties, poor literacy levels impeded their ability to upskill themselves. The second related to the skill levels required to participate effectively in the family and community life of ‘the knowledge society’ [1].

The Minister outlined that the creation of the new Ministerial Portfolio, the Associate Minister of Education (Adult and Community Education) in 1999, was an important initiative of the current government and she noted that “among the responsibilities of this portfolio was the development of an adult literacy strategy”[2]. The members of the reference group were unanimous in their support of both new initiatives. Their timeliness and the significance that each would add to the work of those in the field of adult literacy were highlighted and discussed by the group.

Background to Te Käwai Ora

The main aim of the establishment of the Mäori Adult Literacy Reference Group was “to provide advice on policy development with respect to adult literacy outcomes”[3]. This is particularly important given the current disparities between Mäori and non-Mäori in this area. There is a dearth of research available in the field of adult literacy that is able to inform the development of effective policy. This has a number of implications. One set relates to current government policy as outlined in More Than Words. Another set relates to the effective relationships that will be required between the Crown and stakeholders in the field if the policy is to be successfully implemented. In the absence of a research base to inform policy development the opinion of experts in the field has been called for. Those on the group represent major, national stakeholders who have proven records in the field. It was the gathering of this experience that the methodology informing the conduct of the reference group was designed to facilitate. This expert opinion comprises the data from which this report has been written. The members of the group were:

  • Bronwyn Yates, Literacy Aotearoa;
  • Susan Reid, Workbase: The National Centre for Work Place Literacy and Language;
  • Te Ripowai Higgins, Te Ataarangi Educational Trust;
  • Wally Penetito, He Parekereke: Institute for Research and Development, School of Education, Victoria University of Wellington;
  • Mereana Selby, Te Wänanga o Raukawa;
  • Bubs Taipana, Whäia Te Ara Tika Literacy Programme; and
  • Rachel Wikaira, NZ Correspondence School.

The Life of the Group

The group started its journey by considering three major focus questions that addressed critical notions informing policy scholarship in this field. The questions were:

  • how do Mäori define a literate Mäori?
  • how do we define literacy?
  • what are some of the major issues in the field?

The fifth Term of Reference made provision for the group “to identify and explore issues specific to the brief of improving the literacy outcomes of adult Mäori, not covered by the Terms of Reference listed above, which warrant consideration”. These discussions fit within this descriptor. By starting with them the group adopted the approach of exploring the policy scholarship before developing the policy science[4]. Policy scholarship “examines fundamental principles and ideologies in struggle”[5] in the policy milieu. Policy science deals with ‘specific policy proposals and technical details’[6]. It is in the synthesis of both policy scholarship and policy science that the full view will be found. Before attending to the technical detail of the policy proposal on the table, then, as articulated in More Than Words, the group set out their view of the “fundamental principles and ideologies in struggle” in the field of literacy as articulated by Mäori.

Chapter OneHow do Mäori define a literate Mäori?

A number of main themes emerged from a discussion of the question “How do Mäori define a literate Mäori?” They included responses to the opening question; becoming biliterate; and barriers to Mäori literacy – historical, structural (systemic), institutional/programme, personal. The question: “How do we define a literate Mäori?” was responded to by one group member in a way that summarised the group view. It is as follows:

Literacy in Mäori terms should include the ability to read and write in both Mäori and English, i.e biliteracy and be able to use that ability competently, i.e. to be functionally biliterate in Mäori and English. Being literate in Mäori should also include having the capacity to ‘read’ the geography of the land, i.e. to be able to name the main land features of one’s environment (the mountains, rivers, lakes, creeks, bluffs, valleys etc.), being able to recite one’s tribal/hapü boundaries and be able to point them out on a map if not in actuality as well as the key features of adjacent tribal/hapü boundaries and being able to ‘read’ Mäori symbols such as carvings, tukutuku, köwhaiwhai and their context within the wharenui (poupou, heke etc.) and the marae (ätea, ärongo etc.). I’m not sure but even the ability to ‘read’ body language (paralinguistics) should not be outside the scope of a definition of ‘literacy’ in Mäori terms. This is the sort of work that ‘the politics of everyday life’ structured in the nature of relationships has much to say about.

This might be taking a definition of literacy too far but then again perhaps the definition that has been imposed has been far too limiting … which might account for the fact that many people know how to read but don’t do it very much because it is such an anti-social activity (Wally Penetito, 2001).

In the last twenty-five years many New Zealanders have been taking part in a social movement which is based on just these notions. A biliteracy strategy is already being implemented in Aotearoa today. It is being led by Mäori. It is changing the social and economic fabric of this country forever. Te Köhanga Reo, Te Ataarangi, Te Wänanga o Raukawa and the Mäori providers in Literacy Aotearoa, for example, are among the organisations leading the biliteracy strategy. Profiles of these organisations/movements reveal that not only have Mäori have been instrumental in changing the face of literacy in this country, they show how this transformation has occurred.

These programmes exhibit a number of ‘critical success’ factors:

  • they are ‘flax roots’ initiatives, which have been developed by Mäori, for Mäori and in Mäori;
  • they have been developed outside of what has been known as ‘the mainstream’;
  • they are informed by mätauranga Mäori and kaupapa Mäori;
  • they have each created transformative, solutions-focussed, radical alternatives to mainstream models;
  • they now have each achieved over two decades of effective praxis and lead their respective sectors;
  • they have each transformed participation and achievement rates in their respective sectors;
  • equitable resourcing of the initiatives has been a huge issue, but it has not stopped the momentum of development; and
  • they are now each recognised and celebrated internationally as ‘authentic’, ‘global exemplars’ of indigenous development.

Name / Year of Formation
Te Ataarangi / 1979
Te Köhanga Reo / 1982
Literacy Aotearoa / 1982
Te Wänanga o Raukawa / 1981

These programmes draw from a number of bodies of knowledge that inform Mäori development. It is in the synthesis of these bodies of knowledge that their ‘authenticity’ is to be found. The bodies of knowledge tell us about ‘knowing about Mäori knowledge, doing things the Mäori way and being Mäori’ and are termed ‘epistemological, methodological and ontological’. Key concepts in this chapter draw from diverse bodies of knowledge. They refer to the difference between ‘Mäori realities’ (ontology), ‘Mäori world views’ (epistemology) and ‘Kaupapa Mäori’ (methodology).

There is no single ‘Mäori reality’. ‘Being Mäori’ is informed by diverse Mäori realities. Diversity in this sense is ontological in nature, referring to the nature of being. Literacy programmes for Mäori will need to provide for multiple pathways in response to this notion of ‘diverse Mäori realities’. There is no single ‘Mäori world view’. Mäori world views are known at the whänau, hapü and iwi levels. In this sense mätauranga Mäori (Mäori knowledge) can be differentiated as mätauranga whänau, hapü, iwi and Mäori. Diversity in this sense is epistemological in nature, referring to the theory of/methods/the grounds of knowledge. Literacy programmes based in mätauranga whänau, hapü, iwi and Mäori knowledge give expression to Mäori world views. ‘Kaupapa Mäori’ articulates how Mäori world views, mätauranga Mäori, inform the development of methodologies authentic to Mäori. Literacy programmes that are based on kaupapa Mäori will implement processes and protocols which are drawn from the mätauranga whänau, hapü, iwi and Mäori.

The question of what is Mäori about mätauranga Mäori, and therefore about analyses of Mäori literacy, must be answered in epistemological as well as methodological and ontological terms if it is to be identified as authentic and not a feature which, it could be argued, is found in any population or any general programme.

Chapter Two

How do we define literacy?

The group identified the following as the parameters of the task of defining literacy in Aotearoa: literacy and ‘survivability’ (meaning the ability to survive sustainably); Te Wheke and universal laws of literacy; clashing world views – colonisation and adaptability; and whänau, hapü and iwi literacy.

At stake in the deliberations of the group was the critical issue of the survivability of Mäori. ‘Being Mäori’ was identified as a starting point. The challenge was to work from this point, through an assessment of the notion of survivability, to literacy. A member of the group asked the following focus question: “How will we recognise ourselves in a thousand years’ time? By measures of blood alone? Or will there be a world view, which is an expression of a lived culture, articulated in our own language, which will be recognisable as Mäori?”

One of the questions being explored is the question of “what is Mäori literacy?” Literacy programmes for Mäori are not only about reading and writing, which are associated with ‘reading the word’, though they include this. They are also about outcomes that show that people have increased cultural and political knowledge. As well as knowing how to speak te reo this includes knowledge about whakapapa, knowledge about who you are and where you come from. When asked “What is it about learning te reo that is a literacy outcome?” the answer lies in the ability for Mäori to be able to read the Mäori world view.

Te reo Mäori was a major theme of the analysis of this discussion. The reason is clear: it is language that gives expression to culture. Further, the group argued that the Mäori world view can only be expressed through the Mäori language. In arguing this they are arguing a position which suggests that there is a philosophical difference between Mäori realities and Mäori world views. The former are identified as ontological considerations, the latter as epistemological considerations.

The retention, maintenance and revitalisation of the Mäori language are identified as critical issues for the survivability of whänau, hapü, iwi Mäori in epistemological terms. Without te reo Mäori, Mäori lose the ability to define what is ‘Mäori’ about ‘being Mäori’ in terms which are authentic to Mäori in Aotearoa. Te reo Mäori, therefore, comprises one of our defining characteristics as a people. At the end of the day the survival of our culture is expressed as a function of our ability to express ourselves by way of a number of mediums including those that link us to the e-world.