1 The Significance of the Second Hui Taumata Matauranga

The second Hui Taumata Mätauranga on November 10/11, 2001, comes nine months after the first Hui, also held in Taupo on February 24, 2001 and carries with it hope for the birth of a new approach to Mäori education, or, if not an entirely new approach then at least a healthy outcome. Much of the business of the second Hui has been to assess the consequences of those months and to see how the expectations and aspirations voiced earlier in the year have been translated into policies and programmes that will benefit Mäori.

Like the first Hui, the second was called by Ngäti Tuwharetoa and owes much to the leadership of Tumu te Heuheu and his undertaking that the recommendations made in February should be afforded respect and given serious deliberation. Those deliberations have involved many Mäori within the education sector, iwi across the country, government officials, Ministers of the Crown, leaders from industry, representatives from other sectors, parents, and whänau. But while the focus has been on the 107 recommendations voiced at the February Hui Taumata Mätauranga, the discussions have also identified fresh issues drawing attention to matters beyond the immediate scope of the education sector. In like manner, while this second Hui has been primarily for the review of progress, and to report back, inevitably it has also presented another opportunity for Mäori to debate the direction of education and to consider priorities across a range of concerns relevant to Mäori development. The agenda is not simply education but education for Mäori advancement. In this regard, each of the two Hui Taumata Mätauranga, though focussing on education, has been primarily about Mäori people and Mäori development.