Succeeding as Māori: Māori students’ views on our Stepping Up to the Ka Hikitia Challenge

Abstract

This paper examines the vision and intent of New Zealand’s Māori education policy, Ka Hikitia, and its implications on the daily lives of Māori students in New Zealand’s education system. Extensive information on the secondary school experiences of rangatahi Māori (youth) have been gathered—originally in 2001 and at the end of 2015, through Kia Eke Panuku: Building on Success (Kia Eke Panuku: Building on Success is a secondary school reform initiative that is fully funded by the Ministry of Education, however, this paper represents the view of the authors and is not necessarily the view of the Ministry). Based on the messages from these two points in time, the paper concludes that the promises of Ka Hikitia are yet to be fully realised. If we, as educators, are to leave a legacy of more Māori students fashioning and leading our future, the need for the system to step up still remains.