Māori cultural citizenship education

It is debatable whether citizenship education in New Zealand has presented a version of citizenship that resonates with Māori. This article explores the ability of The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) to meaningfully provide citizenship education for Māori. This article suggests that there needs to a mindshift away from the conventional approach of a generic “New Zealand citizen” to one that more fully acknowledges Māori as tangata whenua. This reconceptualising of non-colonial citizenship education is an opportunity to use NZC to transform and empower Māori students. The author also uses his own experience in establishing two partnership schools as a basis for considering how meaningful citizenship education can be developed and implemented.