After the Government rolled back Te Tiriti obligations, one school says it’s a non-negotiable and it will be sticking to its approach, warning that any change would make inequity for Māori worse.
When the repeal was made, Education Minister Erica Stanford told schools they could choose their own path. Many did, by expressing their commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Why this school refuses to back down on Te Tiriti o Waitangi - Watch on TVNZ+
One of those schools standing firm on their relationship with the Treaty is Te Uru Karaka, Newton Central School. Its constitution is tiriti-centric, and its teaching practices are grounded in the Treaty’s principles. For them, this isn’t just policy, it’s identity.
Principal Bryan Rehutai (Ngāti Porou, Tahiti) says: “Honouring Te Tiriti creates a whānau-like context for learning. When tamariki feel who they are is acknowledged, the learning comes.”
He added: “I think because [the repeal] is not something boards would need to consider anymore, things that are so important and uniquely Māori in our concepts and our things that make us who we are won’t be there. So those disparities and the inequity gaps will only widen.
“I think that the Government are trying to look at the obligations of Te Tiriti o Waitangi at a governance level as things that are blocking students from learning and that is a mismatch in my thinking because when you are honouring te tiriti you are creating a whanau-like context for students to learn in.”
Student Maia Taare said: "If we stop doing it [learning about Te tiriti] it would be kinda heartbreaking. Te Tiriti o Waitangi to me is like a paper of peace."
‘Undermines Aotearoa’s founding document’
The Government’s move has been called “a political decision” by lawyer Tania Waikato (Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe, Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Hine, Te Whakatōhea) who argues it undermines Aotearoa’s founding document.
Despite repeated requests for an interview, the Education Minister declined to comment for this story, instead referring us to previous media appearances.
Waikato went further, creating Te Rāranga Rangatira, a public list of schools pledging to uphold Te Tiriti. More than 1700 schools - around 70% nationwide - are now signed up to it.
Initially, ministers said schools were free to choose. But when hundreds signed up, the tone shifted.
Education Minister Erica Stanford labelled the list “disgusting,” claiming it pressured schools to conform.
Waikato disagrees: “Schools recognise Te Tiriti as our constitutional foundation. The government saying we can just chuck it outside is a major step backwards.”
For this kura, the commitment runs deep. Its approach reflects a belief that Te Tiriti is not just history but a living agreement shaping education today.
Lessons weave Māori perspectives throughout the curriculum, and the school’s community strongly supports that stance.
“We’ve had no pushback,” principal Rehutai says. “Our whānau know this is core to who we are.”
As the list grows and schools continue to choose Te Tiriti, the tension between political decisions and educational values is clear. For this school, the answer is simple: honouring Te Tiriti is non-negotiable.
Why this school refuses to back down on Te Tiriti o Waitangi - Watch on TVNZ+
SHARE ME