Te Wāhanga
Ko Te Wāhanga te pokapū rangahau Māori o te NZCER. E whakaū ana mātou ki te whakapai ake i ngā putanga mātauranga mō te iwi Māori, ka mutu, ka tautokona hoki te whakawhitiwhitinga o te hinengaro ā-mātauranga Māori.
Anei mātou
Ko te tokowhā nei o Te Wāhanga, ko Tākuta Jessica Hutchings (Tūmuaki) ko Katrina Taupo, ko Nicola Bright, ko Alex Barnes. Ahakoa, mahi ohu ai mātou ka taea te piri anō ki ētahi atu o ngā kairangahau kē a te NZCER. Ka whaipānga anō mātou ki ētahi atu kairangahau, pūtahi anō hoki tae atu ki ngā mana pērā i te kōhanga reo, wharekura, wānanga me ētahi atu rōpū Māori ā-mātauranga iwi.
Te Kaupapa
Ahakoa te aha, ka whai tonu ngā mahi a Te Wāhanga ki ngā mātāpono kaupapa Māori ā-tikanga. Mā te Rōpū Tikanga Rangahau mātou e taunaki. Ka whakaū mātou ki te rangahau, ki te arototuruki, ki te tātari kaupapahere, ki te whanaketanga mātanga tae atu ki te whanake i ngā rauemi ā-hāngai rangahau.
Te Wāhanga is the Māori research unit within the New Zealand Council for Educational Research. We are committed to making a positive difference to education outcomes for Māori and to supporting transformative Māori educational thinking.
Who we are
The members of the Te Wāhanga team are Dr Jessica Hutchings (Tumuaki), Katrina Taupo, Nicola Bright, and Alex Barnes. Our researchers work as a unit and in teams with other NZCER researchers. We also have collaborative relationships with outside researchers and institutions, and with groups including kōhanga reo, kura, wharekura, wānanga, and other iwi and Māori education groups.
Our work
All Te Wāhanga work adheres to kaupapa Māori research principles, guided by tikanga. A recently established Rōpū Tikanga Rangahau assists us with this. We undertake research, evaluation, policy analysis, professional development, and the development of research-based resources.
Current Te Wāhanga research projects
- What are the critical issues for Māori in education?
- What do whānau want for their tamariki and mokopuna?
- What facilitates these visions from education?
- What impedes these visions from education?
- What do we need to know more about to facilitate the outcomes that Māori want from education?
The findings from this study will build a collaborative Māori-led research agenda for Te Wāhanga, NZCER over the next 5 years.
Currently in New Zealand there is a strong focus on raising overall literacy levels – from young children in schools to adults in the workplace. However, understanding and improving Māori literacy rates requires approaches that focus, not on individuals in isolation, but on the wider, whānau-based context.
This project plans to investigate whānau literacy development, particularly the connections between parental literacy development, tamariki literacy development, and wider whānau development and transformation.
Over the last 30-40 years "kaupapa Māori theory, research and practice" has challenged the basic premise of "conventional" educational research methodologies and methods. While much has been written about the theory and practice of kaupapa Māori research, the response from non-Māori researchers and policy makers has been relatively silent.
The aims of this research are to:
- critically explore the limits and potential of Pākehā and non-Māori standpoints in transformative cross-cultural educational research; and
- work consciously as Pākehā and non-Māori educational researchers to better understand the "why" and "how" of cross-cultural research practice.
In this project we aim to identify the range and variety of ways in which teachers and students interact with people and groups from the science community to support students’ learning and engagement with science. Te Wāhanga is involved in exploring the types of connections/partnerships that exist between Māori students in English Medium schools and the science community.
Recent Te Wāhanga research outputs
www.shiftingthinking.org
The Shifting to 21st Century Thinking project has been established by a group of researchers and thinkers within the New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
The group thinks deeply about education in the 21st century, and what needs to change. The group thinks that too many of our educational practices remain the same as 50 years ago, and wants to see a shift to 21st century ideas and practices.
It aims to explore the shift to 21st century thinking and learning by connecting theory with educational practice from the perspectives of people actually involved in the educational profession around the world. The intention is to help educators build a bridge between 20th century theories and practices, and 21st century theories and practices.
The website is a space for theory and practice to interact, for theory to inform practice, and practice to inform theory.
These are the proceedings from the Kei Tua o Te Pae hui on the challenges of kaupapa Māori research, held at Pipitea marae on 5–6 May 2011. Compiled by the NZCER Māori research team, Te Wāhanga, it includes all the presentations and panel sessions, as well as a summary of the workshop sessions. Several reflections from hui participants are also included.
