A Conversation on the Philosophy and Practice of Teaching Research in Maori and Pacific Education

Abstract

Research in Māori and Pacific education based on Māori and Pacific philosophies and practices is a new endeavour for tertiary institutions in New Zealand. In this article, the authors describe one such course which they teach to education masters’ students at Victoria University of Wellington. They argue that such courses must be concerned to address the philosophical bases of research at least as rigorously as the methods used to investigate matters of enquiry. It is claimed that Māori and Pacific peoples are demanding the sort of research that helps them to survive, to contribute, and “to be” in the world as Māori and Pacific peoples.