Editor
The teaching of ‘Aotearoa New Zealand History’ will be own country’s history, were young people exposed to a different compulsory in our schools from 2022. Hooray! Congratulations version. to those leaders of schools, political groups, and historians who Every New Zealander will now grow up with a balanced, not have been promoting this idea for many biased, view of our own history. Not only years. Your sustained focus and energy will this enlighten our young people, it Any formal history have prevailed. has huge potential to help break down Any formal history teaching in our teaching in our schools the ingrained racial prejudices that exist schools has mostly been about the in our society. These attitudes persist, achievements of our settlers. We knew has mostly been about in part, through ignorance of our own more about the history of imperial history. They feed on the biases that have the achievements of expansion – the building of the British been passed down over the generations – Empire as a global powerhouse – than our settlers. that Māori are an inferior race to Pākehā, we did about the land under our own that they were a race of cannibalistic feet. We learned about explorers in the Pacific region such as savages and do not stand alongside Pākehā as equals. the Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman (who turned up on our shores The teaching of our own history is important if we are to 377 years ago) and British explorer, Captain James Cook achieve equity of learning outcomes for Māori. Couple this with (250 years ago), but knew nothing of the journeys of indigenous ambitious targets to increase the number of Te Reo speakers and Māori who reached our shores in waka 700 years ago. we can start to feel the beginnings of a sense of hope for our What little we did learn of our own history was somewhat slowly maturing culture. biased. The colonizers were not presented as taking advantage Unintended discrimination and racism have also been of Māori. They were portrayed as rescuers who had come to highlighted in recent New Zealand studies of principal wellbeing. help educate and provide opportunities for Māori to become Principal wellbeing is a high-profile topic across the globe, and civilized citizens and make progress. On the other hand, Māori especially here in New Zealand. As the role of principal has were presented as the savages, in need of ‘taming’ and teaching. become more complex, pressures have increased. These pressures I don’t recall being told the Parihaka story of passive resistance make principalship less and less attractive to middle leaders, who by Māori leaders, Tohu Kākahi and Te Whiti-o-Rongomai, to the once may have aspired to take over the ultimate leadership role. Taranaki military invasion. Nor did I know that these leaders and Elsewhere in this issue of NZ Principal we include three their followers were split up and imprisoned and their women articles that relate to wellbeing. Each has its own approach. The raped by the soldiers because they refused to sell their land. But ‘Forty-hour Principal’ is a great read by two practicing school I do recall stories of revenge attacks by Te Rauparaha on Ngāi principals who share many years of experience. They know from Tahu, for example and I remember the story of ‘Murderers Bay’ first-hand experience the pressures on principals and have some and Tasman’s men being slaughtered by local Māori. excellent and practical advice to offer. Sometimes, principals can I also recall ‘lectures’ on the Treaty of Waitangi and drifting be their own worst enemies, so be prepared for some hard-hitting in and out of mental paralysis over who did and didn’t sign it. guidance too. This experience left many a class of young New Zealand kids, at Geoff Lovegrove, retired experienced principal, presents his that time, disinterested in the Treaty. I recall learning about the reflections on principal wellbeing as he saw it a decade ago. You charitable ways of the missionaries who educated Māori out of may be surprised at how little has changed. The third in the their dark ignorance into the bright lights of Christianity. But I wellbeing trilogy explores the research of Michelle Cole who didn’t learn that Māori had extensive knowledge of astronomy, has been working with Canterbury schools. She presents her seamanship, climate, weather and science which they used to research findings on Wellbeing and support and the creation navigate the Pacific Ocean to settle in Aotearoa New Zealand and recreation of the school space. You may be surprised that in the first place. small changes to the seating in your staff room might actually What little we learned of the land wars were about unreasonable make a difference to the wellbeing of your staff. Māori resisting progress. The term land confiscation wasn’t As this is the last issue of NZ Principal for the year, I will take used until much later and so stories like that of Bastion Point the opportunity of wishing you all a safe and Summery break remained untold. Only in those truly progressive schools with and you can take this magazine on holiday with you! teachers interested enough to have sought out the truth of our