Our Head of Humanities, Paul Enright and Lara Hearn-Rollo, Head of History at Queens High School are continuing the work they began last year with the Ministry of Education developing national History resources to allow Maori history to be taught from a Maori perspective in New Zealand schools. 

The central aim of the current phase of the project is to develop iwi-school relationships as groups work together to explore a much wider and deeper history of New Zealand that extends back significantly to before the 1770 arrival of Captain Cook.
They are liaising with local runaka, iwi experts and Dunedin and Invercargill schools.  (Lara Hearn-Rollo is also one of our ex-pupils).  

What is different about this approach is that it is working to place Maori perspectives and local history at the centre. The project is working to provide schools and iwis with guides to approaches to develop links to allow those local stories to be told with accuracy and respect. Resources that include ways to draw on local and national resources are being developed. These will be presented to the community and included in our learning programmes as they become available to ensure our students are as well equipped to live in 21st century New Zealand as they can be. 

Maori History Project update:

The main things are that approaches, and resources that will draw on local and national resources are being developed. These will be presented to the community and included in our learning programmes as they become available to ensure our students are as well equipped to live in 21st century New Zealand as they can be.