Read on Twitter
Had a bit of a moment today.
Took our Y13 history class to He Tohu @NLNZ and saw the look on a student's face when she found the name of her tipuna (ancestor) on Te Tiriti. We talked afterwards and it was clear it resonated deeply. 1/
Took our Y13 history class to He Tohu @NLNZ and saw the look on a student's face when she found the name of her tipuna (ancestor) on Te Tiriti. We talked afterwards and it was clear it resonated deeply. 1/
Students, Pākehā, Māori, Samoan, Nigerian all crowding round He Whakaputanga (our declaration of indigenous independence) and Te Tiriti talking in increasing volume about what they see and notice. 2/
Hushed reverence punctuated by the clamour of new discovery. The frustrations and questions from one student unable to find her whanaunga on the Treaty. The way she reacted with a steely focus when I asked her if she wanted to come back to pursue her family history. 3/
Their reactions as they watched the map table animations showing the whenua being gobbled up by colonisation, and the settlement deal total vs the nation's GDP. 4/
The young wahine leaning in close to examine the Women's Suffrage Petition. The laughter mixed with shame when we learned that only 30 men signed the petition of over 30,000 signatures. 5/
The wonderful kaiako who led us on our learning journey, one Tangata Whenua, one from Germany, both bringing their love and passion to the job of educating tomorrow's leaders. 6/
The beautiful, warm, living space built to house the taonga. Like a wooden nest, made from interconnected but independent panels, like the iwi and hapu who signed Te Tiriti. A patchwork of beauty and love. 7/
Anyone who knows me knows I have a weird mysticism at my core. A sense of connectedness that transcends the everyday. Today I felt that intensely. We are all connected. The hurt of one is the shame of another, the forgiveness of one is the redemption of another. 8/
We walked away energised, thankful and, I think, purposeful. He Tohu asks us a number of questions, but for me the most important is "what are you going to do about it?" 9/
I wonder what my students felt afterwards, what impact it had on those young hearts and minds. I will find out tomorrow. 10/
So thank you again to the marvelous team at He Tohu / @NLNZ. I think you might just have made our year.
