Ko te Titiri o Waitangi, Tikanga e Rua me te Mātauranga Katorika ki Aotearoa

The Treaty of Waitangi, Biculturalism and New Zealand Catholic Education

E te iwi whakapono, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference in its mandate to the New Zealand Catholic Education Office States states that the office is to ensure that the spirit and principles of the Treaty of Waitangi permeate the relationships and work of NZCEO Ltd at all levels, consulting with Te Rūnanga o te Hāhi Katorika ki Aotearoa about how best this may be achieved.

NZCEO takes this commitment very seriously, and is very supportive of the work of schools in relation to the education of Māori students, and the education of all students about what it means to belong to a bi-cultural society.

The Office consults with Te Rūnanga and with hāpori Māori (Māori community) on specific matters to do with the education of Māori students, our tamariki and mokopuna in Catholic schools. The Office promotes the importance of working with children and their whānau to ensure that the
education each Māori child receives is appropriate to his or her needs.

The Catholic Religious Education curriculum, which is the responsibility of the National Centre for Religious Studies, places considerable emphasis on Māori values. Diocesan Catholic Education Offices work directly with schools, their whānau Māori and communities, recognising that the Treaty
of Waitangi and biculturalism is central to their work.

The following documents are on the website.

  • The Catholic Schools Declaration states, “A New Zealand Catholic school gives practical recognition to the special importance of the Treaty of Waitangi.”
  • The 2020 Beacon Plan for Catholic Education in New Zealand has as one of its aims, “Practical commitment to achieving positive bi-cultural relationships with Māori, and practical commitment to developing a resilient multi-cultural society.”
  • The NZCEO Strategic Plan 2011-2015 states, “As part of the Catholic Church of Aotearoa New Zealand, the Catholic education system is committed to the Treaty of Waitangi and its practical expression in schools. This arises from the rights of Māori as indigenous people, based on natural justice.”
  • The documentation for the Catholic Character review of schools requires a bi-cultural commitment from schools, and provides indicators as to what this might look like in action.
  • The Philosophy of Catholic Schools refers to education with a focus on the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
  • The New Zealand Catholic Education office supports, publicises and promotes the range of Ministry of Education programmes designed to lift the achievement of Māori students while our office recognises that nurturing wairuatanga, the spirituality and Katorikatanga, the Catholic identity of our tamariki and mokopuna remains central in our and their daily lives.

Ko te manu e kai ana te miro, nāna te ngāhere. Ko te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga, nōna te ao.
The bird that partakes of berries, theirs is the forest. The bird that partakes in education, theirs is the world