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The New Zealand (School Curriculum) ‘History Wars’: The New Zealand Land Wars Petition and the Status of Māori Histories in New Zealand Schools (1877–2016)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2017

Richard Manning
Richard Manning*
Affiliation:
College of Education, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
*
address for correspondence: Richard Manning, College of Education, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand. Email: richard.manning@canterbury.ac.nz.
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Abstract

This article draws upon historical evidence and theoretical insights to critique the New Zealand government's negative response to a popular petition developed by students of Otorohanga College. The petition called for the New Zealand Land Wars to become a ‘prescribed course of study’ (topic) in New Zealand schools. This article consequently reviews the status of Māori histories in New Zealand schools from 1877 to 2016. This review is followed by a critique of the New Zealand government's response to the petition. This will be of interest to an Australian audience grappling with issues relating to the teaching of Indigenous peoples’ histories in schools.

Keywords

MāorihistorycurriculumNew ZealandwarsIndigenoussyllabussocial studies

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education , Volume 47 , Issue 2 , December 2018 , pp. 120 - 130
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2017 

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