Search Results for: mātauranga Māori,

New Zealand authorities stand firm in desire to teach Maori “ways of knowing” alongside science in high schools and colleges

From what I hear from my Kiwi friends in academia, some of whom keep publicly quiet about these developments given the political climate, the government and universities in New Zealand are standing firm in their resolve to teach mātauranga Māori, or “Maori ways of knowing” alongside and coequal to modern (i.e., real) science in both … Continue reading New Zealand authorities stand firm in desire to teach Maori “ways of knowing” alongside science in high schools and colleges

What’s going on in New Zealand? Three easy pieces

I haven’t reported lately on what’s happening with science in New Zealand, so here’s a brief update. I have are three items. As you may recall, there’s been a big fracas about the way to teach science in New Zealand, with the indigenous Māori  and their supporters arguing that mātauranga Māori, or Maori “ways of knowing” … Continue reading What’s going on in New Zealand? Three easy pieces

Nola and Cooper resign from New Zealand’s Royal Society after being exculpated for criticizing indigenous “ways of knowing” as “science”

For a while now I’ve been discussing the row in New Zealand about whether  indigenous “ways of knowing”, Mātauranga Māori (“MM” for short), should be given equal treatment in the science classroom to modern science. The short answer for those with any neurons is “no”. While MM does comprise some “practical knowledge” like how and … Continue reading Nola and Cooper resign from New Zealand’s Royal Society after being exculpated for criticizing indigenous “ways of knowing” as “science”

Some correspondence and a statement from from the Royal Society of New Zealand about “ways of knowing” and cancellation

Here’s a bit more (and I’m not done yet) about the fight to teach valid science in New Zealand rather than teach valid science in science class as coequal with indigenous “ways of knowing.” The Royal Society of New Zealand has the formal name “Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi”, with the last two words … Continue reading Some correspondence and a statement from from the Royal Society of New Zealand about “ways of knowing” and cancellation

“The Shape of Dialogue”: a discussion about ‘ways of knowing’

Here’s a long interview I had about a week ago with Michael Goldwater, a Kiwi who lives in Auckland.  His podcast, “The Shape of Dialogue” is just starting and has nine episodes so far, the most recent one with Steve Pinker. The topic of our discussion was “Science versus ‘other ways of knowing’,” which of … Continue reading “The Shape of Dialogue”: a discussion about ‘ways of knowing’

NZ Science Dean wants schools to teach Māori “spirituality” and “non-secularism” in science

Shoot me now!  New Zealand’s system of science education continues to go down the toilet (along with Donald Trump’s papers, I guess) as everyone from government officials to secondary school teachers to university professors pushes to make Mātauranga Māori (“MM”) or Māori “ways of knowing” coequal with science, to be taught as science in science classes. … Continue reading NZ Science Dean wants schools to teach Māori “spirituality” and “non-secularism” in science

Rare 40,000 year old log given to Māori rather than science

Increasingly, archaeologist and scientists are coming into conflict with indigenous people, and that’s to be expected as the latter exert rights that have long been trampled on. A lot of these conflicts involve biological remains like skeletons or fossils or, in this case, a log, that are found on “indigenous territory”. What do we do … Continue reading Rare 40,000 year old log given to Māori rather than science