Looking Back to Move Forward Together: Interview with Kātene Durie-Doherty
Kātene Durie-Doherty is the guiding light behind the New Zealand Wars - Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa instagram page and soon to be launched website. With the Aotearoa - New Zealand’s Histories to be taught in schools from 2022 we thought we would catch up with Kātene about his need to educate people on what happened in our country before us.
In 2022 young New Zealanders will be exposed to Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories, the document for the new histories aspect of the curriculum states:
Me tiro whakamuri, kia anga whakamua.
If we want to shape Aotearoa New Zealand’s future, start with our past.
Do you agree with this and why do you think it is so important that Aotearoa’s young people learn about what came before them?
Aē! Our history plays a vital role in defining New Zealand's unique identity and culture. It plays a considerable part in understanding the trials and tribulations that Māori go through and provides a meaningful context of colonialism and its impact that still runs deep in our society today. For many years New Zealanders had a sense that their country had no history, a real history we were told happened overseas for some reason, we have failed to confront our own past. War is never worth celebrating for itself. But the New Zealand wars have shown that we don’t have to look overseas for our dynamic history, for our Joan of Arcs, Gengis Khans, Robin Hoods or our Martin Luther King's their stories are here on our streets, our parks, our Mārae and our Whenua.
What has driven you to setting up the amazing NZ Wars resource?
Ngā Pakanga ō Aotearoa was initially inspired by the works of James Belich, Vincent O Malley, Reweti Kohere and Pei Te Hurinui. After exploring deeper into the New Zealand Wars, it became apparent that there were no real good digital resources dedicated to the New Zealand Wars. Ngā Pakangā o Aotearoa was formed with the vision to build a platform that brings visibility to our history. A platform that would bring new audiences to our whakapapa and help provide a foundation to educate those who didn’t get the chance to learn about our backyard. We need to see the real lives and real history behind the names, images, and monuments around Aotearoa; they are not just momentos hanging on walls or hidden in dusty photo albums, but real flesh and blood of the, Tāne, Wāhine and Tamariki who fought the New Zealand Wars, they made history, and we forgot it.
Cast your mind back to your schooling - can you remember any significant learning around the history of Aotearoa?
Growing up, I had a mixture of Kura Kaupapa Māori education as well as Mainstream schooling.
I was fortunate enough to attend a small school on the east coast of the north island - Te Puia Springs School that was Kaupapa Māori driven. Our Kaiako and community ensured that we understood the history and events in Ngāti Porou and our surrounding iwi. As I transitioned into mainstream schooling less emphasis was placed on New Zealand history and there was more focus on history such as The Tsars of Russia and the World Wars.
If NZ Histories had been a part of the curriculum when you were at school, what would this have meant for you and your peers?
I think my peers would have more of an understanding of the trials and tribulations Māori go through in a contemporary light. I think many Kiwis are swift to write off any issues or obstacles that affect Māori with little to no understanding. As a result they are basing their judgment more on headlines.
History encourages a deeper understanding of difference. There are lessons, both good and bad, to be learned from the way our ancestors have interacted with other people who have different ways of living. In a modern world where inclusivity is embraced no matter your background, an understanding of how past societies have integrated is key to humanity improving in the future. In order to move to the future, we must understand our past.
The big ideas in the NZ Curriculum are:
Māori history is the foundation and continuous history of Aotearoa New Zealand
Colonisation and its consequences have been central to our history for the past 200 years and continue to influence all aspects of New Zealand society
The course of Aotearoa New Zealand’s history has been shaped by the exercise and effects of power
These three big ideas that don’t change across year levels but rather, students gradually deepen their understanding of the ideas as their knowledge grows. What do you think the strengths of this approach is?
Quite simple really! The deeper the understanding, the deeper the understanding.
If the Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories aspect of the curriculum is successfully implemented and embedded across schools in New Zealand what will the positive outcomes be for our country?
History enables us to develop a better understanding of the New Zealand in which we live. Building knowledge and understanding of historical events and trends, especially over the past century, enables us to develop a much greater appreciation for current events today, remembering history – and learning important lessons from it – should help us to avoid previous mistakes and prevent previous misdeeds from happening again.
Follow Kātene’s work in sharing Aotearoa New Zealand’s history on Instagram at @newzealandwars.
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