Bicultural Education in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Establishing a Tauiwi Side to the Partnership

Abstract

In this paper, the author discusses the development of ideologies about multiethnic educational policy in Aotearoa/New Zealand in terms of four successive stages: assimilation, integration, multiculturalism and biculturalism. He argues that we need to develop a form of biculturalism that fully acknowledges Maori as tangata whenua and which is centred upon a Maori/Tauiwi partnership rather than the present Maori/Pakeha primary relationship. He also suggests we need to articulate clearly what we mean by biculturalism and to understand both the ideologies and philosophies that have been developed during the four stages in order to develop useful policy and practice. The author adopts James Banks’ concept of the multiethnic paradigm as an analytical tool to assist this process.