Letters to the Editor, New Zealand Herald, 2 October 2025
David Seymour and Parmjeet Parmar criticised the compulsory first-year course at the University of Auckland that had a Māori component and that is now likely to be made optional.
When I first started teaching in a university half a century ago: graduation occurred in May because in olden days exam scripts had to get to the “old country” and back by ship to get marked; engineering students mocked Māori culture at their graduation by dancing, black faced, in grass skirts; New Zealand kids at school learned more about the kings and queens of England than they did about the history of their own country; and “God save the queen” was sung in smoke-filled cinemas.
Today, we mark our own scripts, still have a May/Autumn graduation, but also a Spring/September one; engineering students no longer conduct false hakas; the teaching of New Zealand history is now compulsory in schools; and we have a national anthem that is sung in two languages and outdoors at sporting occasions.
So, the idea that first-year students – local and international – might learn a little more about the special nature of this country as part of their tertiary, including professional, learning is, from one perspective at least, part of the growing up of this country into a mature and tolerant society with a rich and varied history.
Long may it continue.
Peter Davis, Emeritus Professor in Population Health and Social Science, University of Auckland
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That is certainly how I remember middle school education in Christchurch in the early ’70s. I’ve heard that Maori language is compulsory learning in NZ schools now?
Rani
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Thanks for getting in touch about this. I have asked my sister-in-law who is a primary school teacher. This is her reply about the teaching of te reo:
In reply to teaching Te Reo Maori:
According to my principal: there is no directive to teach Maori from the Ministry/ Government; there is an obligation. There are incentives with some more funding if you are doing teaching.
Bit sad,I do my best, and we have support of local mana whenua with Kapa Haka.
Our office person is fluent, so is my go to. As I am not a speaker I do not have the grammar and such without help.
There have been excellent resources, and opportunities on line (for free in the past – not sure now.)
Personally incentives and further training of teachers is the way to go. But we are inundated with curriculum changes this year
cheers, ka kite, nga mihi
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One thing wrong. Smoking not allowed in NZ movie theatres
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You could be right. Perhaps I was getting confused with the situation in the UK. Apparently smoking was not stopped in the UK until 2006! I checked through Google, and there is nothing explicitly I could find on whether smoking in cinemas was not allowed, but I did find reference to people smoking in the foyer etc. But I stand corrected!
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