A kura principal has called the lack of Māori representation on the education Epidemic Response Committee “absolutely disgusting”.
Ripeka Lessels, Tumuaki (principal) of Kawerau-based Māori medium school Te Whata Tau o Pūtauaki, said the fact there was no Māori education voice to give feedback on the Covid-19 pandemic was “disappointing”.
“It just so smacks of white privilege, it smacks of it… they should have at least reached out to at least have a voice of a Māori medium school,” Ms Lessels said.
“At a time and place when Māori... this Covid has just highlighted the inequity.”
She said it was important the committee, led by National leader Simon Bridges, had information about how Māori students and kura had been affected during the pandemic, particularly around accessing resources to learn remotely while schools are closed.
“If you don’t have the Māori voice, you’re not going to think about it… We’re left kind of on the sidelines,” Ms Lessels said.
The committee of 11 Members of Parliament was established to hear public, academic and Government perspectives on how the Government has managed the response to the pandemic, and report back to wider Parliament.
Today, Early Childhood Council chief executive Peter Reynolds, New Zealand Principals’ Federation president Perry Rush, Auckland Grammar School headmaster Tim O’Connor, Oropi School principal Andrew King, NZ Hair and Beauty Industry Training Organisation chief executive Kay Nelson and Victoria University of Wellington vice-chancellor Grant Guilford presented.
Both schools included have a high decile rating, meaning they have a lower proportion of students from low socio-economic communities.
There’s been criticism about a lack of Māori representation in other epidemic response committee meetings too, in areas such as health where Māori have a poorer health status than Pakeha.
Kelvin Davis, the Associate Education Minister for Māori Education, also criticised the approach, saying the Government and Education Ministry see it as a priority to regularly communicate with Māori medium education bodies during the pandemic.
“It’s disappointing that the voices of those who work and learn in Māori medium settings, and their wider communities, have been excluded from the Epidemic Response Committee process,” he said in a statement.
“The Epidemic Response Committee has an Opposition majority and ultimately the chair Simon Bridges has the final say of who appears in front of it,” he said.
Mr Davis said Labour MPs on the committee have told him they’ve made requests for improved representation of Māori voices from various sectors.
Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust, a governing body for Māori medium kindergartens, also shared concern that Kōhanga Reo hadn’t been invited to participate.
“It is disappointing the committee excluded Kōhanga Reo from the process. The Trust is always ready to share our experiences especially when there is an opportunity to improve the lives, health and wellbeing of our mokopuna,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
New Zealand Educational Institute president Liam Rutherford said the union is also disappointed about the failure to include a Māori perspective on education and said the committee also failed to hear from teachers and support staff.
“This committee is the only backstop we have right now for the Government’s Covid-19 response and today they failed to hear from some key people in the education sector,” he said in a statement.
“A Māori voice should have been crucial, as a crisis like Covid-19 only amplifies the inequities in our system.”
When questioned today, Mr Bridges said he hopes a committee meeting focused on hearing from Māori about the impact of the pandemic could happen, but it depends how long the committee runs.
“I think we’ve heard from some Māori. We’ve heard of course from Traci Houpapa, a prominent Māori businesswoman… we’ve heard, for example, from certain Māori radio stations.
“I mean it’s always the aspiration to hear from more folk at the committee, I can tell you quite clearly I’ve probably had 50 proposals from really significant bodies and agencies who want to come along who we haven’t just got to,” he said.
Te Whata Tau o Pūtauaki Tumuaki’s Ms Lessels said she wanted the committee to know that many kura are located rurally and have found it challenging getting education resources and internet access or digital devices to students.
She said her kura received none of the Te Reo Māori learning resource hard-copy packs or technology requested from the Education Ministry.
“Where connectivity is an issue, we’ve supplied them with a mobile device cause we can’t wait for the Ministry to do it,” Ms Lessels said.
She stopped the request to the Education Ministry last week for resources, saying it’s “too late” now with staff creating an online learning programme and resources instead.
“It’s been the modus operandi for years but is shouldn’t have to be that way,” Ms Lessels said about support for Māori medium schools.
The principal drove up to 12 kilometres to some students to deliver the school’s own supply of portable internet data devices where whānau had no internet.
But some students remain offline, with some parents choosing to “spend time with children” instead of following the learning programme and other families not having enough devices for all their children to use, she said.
An Education Ministry written update for schools sent last Friday stated more than 31,000 Te Reo Māori learning packs have already been distributed and there’s been more than 35,000 orders for the resource, out of a total of 40,000 available packs.
The ministry stated there have been some delays with sending packs and with the resource now fully allocated, providing further learning packs is being investigated.
Meanwhile, the Māori Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer challenged Mr Bridges and the committee on the fact that only two representatives from Māori organisations, and not one iwi representative or Māori health or education expert, had been invited to present to the committee over the last six weeks.
"The Epidemic Response Committee is the primary method of holding Government to account and scrutinising their decisions during the pandemic. It is completely unacceptable for Māori voices to be left out," she said.
SHARE ME