What Does Quality Mean? The Context Of Education?

In 1840 the Māori chiefs and the English crown signed the Treaty of Waitangi which showed the dual heritage between the cultures and to develop a partnership to develop a shared future as we have today. This historical event has big impacts on Te Whāriki the way it was created with both Māori and Pākehā input to develop a curriculum that supports every child to develop as confident and competent learners. “.. all

The UNCRC of 1989 was signed by all countries apart from the USA and Somalia and entitles children to forty rights. This promotes pupil wellbeing as it states they have the ‘right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health’ (article 24) and promotes achievement as it states that all children are

In the last 60,000 years Australian indigenous knowledge has advanced through generations. Unlike western culture where knowledge becomes known through written text 's,Indigenous knowledge is developed by images, words, patterns, sounds, smells and tastes on different canvases such as sand, soil, the body and rocks (Blair 2008). Furthermore, Since British colonisation in 1788 threats to traditional indigenous knowledge existed then and more now in modern society. Main threats include agricultural and industrial developments, territorial pressures including deforestation, social and economic pressures including assimilation, poverty, education, loss of languages,political pressures,the recognition and standing of indigenous traditional knowledge including involvement in policy and legislative development, cultural integrity and globalisation. It is important that these threats are resolved and Indigenous knowledge is contexulizised into our education systems as it can bring a better understanding to Australian indigenous history.It is important that teachers incorporate indiginoues knowledge into classroom as It can also give students the ability to think comprehensively when exploring social problems in the environment and the awareness of the relationship that people share with their environment and also increase understanding and respect of other cultures (Rahman,2013)

It is increasingly argued that quality in education cannot simply be determined by local factors in schools but depends on social, political and economic factors that often go beyond the local context.

All children have rights, no matter who they are, where they live, what their parents do, or what language they speak. All schools have a duty give children an education in a safe environment. Schools need to develop a Code of Conduct that reinforces school values and clearly defines unacceptable behavior and consequences.

Last but not the least it is necessary to note that there is insufficient done in New Zealand. Henceforth, essay, discussion and conclusion (recommendations) is based on the work done in the UK, Australia and USA.

Kukutai, T. and Pawar, S. (2013). A Socio-demographic Profile of Maori in Australia, NIDEA Working Papers No. 3, University of Waikato, National Institute of Demographic and Economic Analysis. Retrieved from

Within our New Zealand Code of Ethics it states cultural values are to be respected and beliefs acknowledged (Early Childhood Code of Ethics National Working Group, 1996). When conducting educational research, researchers who intend to work within a cultural context different to their own need to acknowledge they will face moral, cultural, and ethical challenges throughout the research (Wong, 2006). This is in regards to both the research design and interactions with the research participant (Sieber, 1993, Sited in Wong, 2006). To enable researchers to be culturally sensitive they need to demonstrate cultural competency throughout the different stages of the research. For example, the Treaty of Waitangi states the affirmative rights of Māori to develop processes of research appropriate for their people, in doing that the only people needing to seek permission are from their own (Cram, 2001). Article Two of the Treaty guarantees te tino rangatiratanga, reflecting the position of Māori as tangata whenua (people of the land) giving them rights to self-determination and tribal self-development (Mane, 2009). Therefore when carrying out educational research within Aotearoa New Zealand researchers need to ensure Māori participants have full

A quality care and education program is one that provides the children a safe, healthy and nurturing environment where they can learn and develop emotionally, physically, intellectually and socially. This means that the program should not just meet the needs of the children but also their families. A good care and education program helps children grow as a strong individual as well as an important contributing member of the community.

Australian education exists in what is known as a neo-liberal market climate meaning that it is the responsibility of the school to produce good citizens of the community. Citizens that can read, write, spell and communicate in everyday living equally. With

Colonial New Zealand desired a utopian Arcadia, in other words New Zealand was sought to be a new beginning for those living in the country. A land that is unspoiled and idealistically perfect. Infant schools in Britain inspired Robert Owen a philanthropist to establish an infant school in 1816 to battle child labour, poverty, disease and neglect. During colonial New Zealand Owen’s Utopian vision, along with British reformers didn’t survive. However the desires for early childhood education as a tool to create good citizens still remained. (Duhn, 2009)

Pre-colonial Maori society was based on kinship groups; hapū, iwi and whanau. These groups are connected to common ancestors and the land and these ties are still integral to maori communities today. (Byers, 2002) As colonization took place, the Treaty of Waitangi; New Zealand’s founding document sought to guarantee the protection of Maori culture and customs but this didn’t result in recognition for the value-based system of social control which Maori had in place. (Vieille, 2010)

Biculturalism has a massive role in Aoteaora New Zealand’s society and has a massive impact in its history. Having a clear understanding of it is crucial in order to be more appreciative of how diverse New Zealand’s society has become, and it also helps us discern the negative aspects of diversity and multiculturalism. By examining and understanding biculturalism, it helps us discern the Treaty of Waitangi’s role and influences in the human services provision here in New Zealand.

This essay will be discussing the social inequalities within New Zealand. These inequalities can include unequal income, education and healthcare. Through extensive research of academic resources, I will be discussing how educational, family, social and political factors contribute to the development of these inequalities. I will also be providing a line graph that shows the unequal income between classes and a second line graph that demonstrates the difference in student success between high decile and low decile schools.

(New Zealand Government, 2015, para. 1). Prime Minister John Key, the main advocate for change, officially launched such discussion last year in a public address he gave at Victoria’s University in Wellington. One of the main points presented in Key’s (2014) speech were his views on how he believes Moreover Key (2014) also argued (para. 88). So far the Prime Ministers proposal failed to inspire the public. On the contrary, it has produced a substantial amount of controversy. The main arguments seem to revolt around the issues of cost, process, national symbol, history and change. This paper will look more closely into each of these aforementioned public differences and close with my own view concerning this debate.