A KAUPAPA MAORI APPROACH

This comes first.

Before Problem. Before Challenge. Before Opportunity.

And before Technology.

This project has required me to prove a problem, a challenge and an opportunity, which I believe I have done. It has demanded from me a viable solution, which to the best of my ability has been accomplished and documented. It’s all there on the next hundred or so pages (150). But what about the Kaupapa Maori element?

The principles of Kaupapa Maori have never been more relevant than they are right now. We live in an increasingly divided and conflicted world, where inequality and injustice seem to be an accepted part of modern life and where Human dignity is in constant danger.

I have struggled with this part of the Masters Program more than any other. It’s the part of this report that I’ve been putting off until the very end because I have no idea what I’m supposed to write. No, that’s a lie. I know exactly what I’m supposed to write and more importantly, precisely what you’d like to hear. I just don’t know HOW to write it. This is an academic paper. How can I possibly prove that what I’m about to declare is true? I can’t.

That chart on the previous page is pure window dressing; a computer generated cloak of virtue. Like a politician kissing a baby on a quest for high office. Or an 8 year old boy putting toothpaste in his mouth and telling his Mum he’s brushed his teeth before bed. EMPTY. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not true though and that I don’t believe it with all my heart. But I suppose you’ll just have to take my word for it. And that’s OK.

The principles of Kaupapa Maori that I have learned and have endeavoured to apply on this journey are for me. Not for you, or for anyone else.

The fact that the principles of Kaupapa Maori align very closely with my own personal values is irrelevant. At the start of this course I received an invitation to learn a core component of the Maori culture and to apply these lessons over the duration of the project. I accepted this invitation. So why am I unable to put it into words? Why can’t I get it down on paper? If these principles are so close to my own, it should be simple, surely.

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This morning I read an article in the NZ Herald which resonated with me and my own Kaupapa Maori experience.

On February 11, @hometoharryx (a Twitter user with over 12,000 followers) posted a picture of Taika Waititi and Mark Ruffalo meeting on the red carpet at the Oscars. We recognise in these pictures an intimate and touching moment between two human beings. But do we understand the importance of this display of AROHA between these two men? Some of us might. Do we know that we are witnessing a HONGI, and are we aware of its cultural significance? Doubtful. For most people outside of New Zealand, it’s a case of Mark and Taika “being the softest duo”.

A few hours later, @padmestrap retweeted the pictures to her 900 followers, along with a brief description of what was occurring on the red carpet and its significance. Her post was liked and shared nearly 280,000 times across the globe. Why? Because it’s important. Embracing other cultures and languages allows us to appreciate people and their stories, events, and the meaning and history behind them. It can also help us to understand those things within ourselves that our own culture might struggle to articulate.

I understand the Principles of Kaupapa Maori, I'm just not that good at expressing them. In a similar way to how I felt as a student living in Germany; I was able to understand everything being said in the room, but didn’t feel confident enough to join the conversation, even though I’d been invited to. Eventually I had to jump in feet first, despite the fear of embarrassing myself and the fear of offending someone by mangling their language in an attempt to participate.

Perhaps the trick is to treat Kaupapa Maori as both principles to apply, AND a language to speak. Maybe they’re the same thing. It may be uncomfortable at first, but the more you practice, the more expansive your vocabulary and understanding becomes and the easier it is to express yourself. Hopefully, before too long, everyone in the room will be speaking the same language. Fluently.