Upholding indigenous difference in Arts education: Noho Marae Wānanga as akin to a "mana of economy" in education

Abstract

In this paper we consider how recent taonga puoro noho marae wānanga, in the Far North district of Aotearoa New Zealand, have much to offer the growth and development of bicultural relational engagement in arts education. The ngā toi Māori authors highlight their aspirations, as leaders of recent hui wānanga initiatives in Te Hiku o Te Ika (the region of the “tail of the fish” at the top of the North Island). This includes aspirations to recognise noho marae wānanga as important self-determining spaces that support the evolution of indigenous paradigms and the growth of music education from a distinctly Māori ontological foundation. Together we advocate for what Moana Jackson calls an “ethic of restoration” and argue that when priority is given to the recognition and support of Māori led educational initiatives, such as noho marae wānanga, generative and mutually beneficial bicultural relationships are better enabled. The authors revisit Te Mauri Pakeaka, an arts education marae wānanga initiative which ran through the 1980s, and consider hui wānanga for their potential to support new forms of bicultural relational engagement in arts education in the future.