The first settlers came (to what is now New Zealand) about 700 years ago in canoes from (what is now) Hawaii. They set up many tribes on both the north and south islands. Captain Cook was the first explorer to stick around after he met the warring locals and claimed land for England in 1769. British citizens trickled in. The English missionaries learned to speak Te Reo (the Maori language) and therefore educated about Christianity in Te Reo. In 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed granting the rights of British citizens to the Maori people in return for the right for Britons to buy land, which of course the Maori did not believe they owned. The Treaty of Waitangi is the founding document and one that espouses equity. One version of the Treaty was in English and one copy was in Te Reo, but the nuances were different, and there is still some controversy today about how it should be interpreted. Long ago, the Maori were in different tribes and were often at war. As the British influence became greater, they decided to band together and go by the name "Maori," which means "normal." Everyone outside the tribal group was "not normal."

Still today, the education system is designed to teach biculturally to Maori and all others—50/50—with 50% of time and energy going to Maori culture and 50% going to all other cultures combined. Even the national standards go by the title "Te Whariki," which means weaving. And they weave together Maori and English principles, including holistic development, kotahitanga, empowerment, whakamana, family and community, whanau tangata, relationships, nga hononga, and five other strands. I see many of these traits exemplified in the schools of New Zealand, but that's for another post…