Accurate histories, critical curriculum: A conversation with Tamsin Hanly

The school curriculum and teacher professional standards in Aotearoa New Zealand emphasise culturally responsive pedagogies for Māori learners. However, there is a gap between rhetoric and practice. Drawing on expert-interview methodology, and based on an interview with Tamsin Hanly about complex curriculum issues, this interview article seeks to stimulate deep thinking about how Māori and Pākehā histories and relationships can be addressed across the curriculum. Arguments are made about the need for teachers to learn about, be discomforted by, and confront inaccurate and simplistic histories. The interview article contends that educators have an ethical responsibility to “reboot biculturalism” in schools.