1999 was the first year that Year 8 Maori immersion students were included in national monitoring in New Zealand. The thesis explores how bilingualism, being a second language learner, and culture impact on student performance. It details the National Education Monitoring Project�s (NEMP) efforts to create fair and valid cross-language and cross-culture assessment. The thesis looks at overseas research on the development, translation and administration of tasks and relates this to NEMP�s processes. Issues and problems that arose during the development, translation and administration of tasks are discussed. Several positions emerge from this thesis. Firstly, that despite the problems encountered, there were some clear �benefits�. Benefits lay primarily in: recognition of the complexity of cross-language and cross-cultural assessment, �improved� assessment and translation processes, professional development, new understanding and knowledge areas, identification of areas for future research and the accumulation of data (albeit in some instances problematic). Secondly, that NEMP went to great efforts to consult with and involve Maori. However, the relationship between NEMP and Maori was compromised in that some sectors within immersion education were ambivalent about participating in national monitoring. This ambivalence impacted in a number of ways on the project and the assessment of immersion students. Thirdly, that the inclusion of immersion students in national monitoring needs to be seen within the wider social, political and historical context of New Zealand. Assessment is not a neutral process. Assessment is a social and political activity that has the potential to advantage certain groups in society and disadvantage others. Fourthly, despite NEMP�s efforts to be fair, inclusive and thorough in its processes there were significant issues that compromised students� performance and the quality of the information gathered. Limited language skills of some students, cultural differences, translation and task administration problems at times worked to the disadvantage of immersion students and raise questions about the validity of some findings. Finally, I suggest that the inclusion of Maori immersion students in national monitoring is in some respects premature and unfair. In particular, questions need to be asked about the fairness and validity of making comparisons between bilingual, second language learners in Maori immersion settings and monolingual Maori students learning in English in the mainstream.

The primary objective of this thesis focuses on the nature of transmission of oral narratives, based on the relationship formed between the recipient and the source. It will be argued that based on the nature of the relationship between these people knowledge is passed on. It will highlight these relationships within a whanau context, especially the koroua and the mokopuna.

This thesis examines the demise of the centrality of cultural-heritage ideals in literacy instruction and its replacement with a technocratic view of literacy instruction which empasised the mechanics of reading. The shift in these ideals, which have underpinned literacy instruction in the New Zealand primary school curriculum, is traced from the establishment of a �high-culture� British imperially-based notion of culture in the late 1920s to its replacement with a technocratic approach to literacy instruction in the revisions to primary school curriculum policy in the mid-1950s. This rise of a technocratic approach to literacy instruction resulted from what Frank Fischer has called a �quiet revolution�, where complex interactions between educational administrators, teacher unions, politicians, influential teachers, teacher educators, and politics in the administrative hierarchies and policies which governed the New Zealand primary school. This study provides an alternative vision of the history of the development of the New Zealand primary school curriculum. Previous New Zealand curriculum historians have portrayed the development of the primary school curriculum as a progressive evolution from the �old� methods of the early decades of mass education to the �modern� methods of the 1940s and 1950s. In contrast to the traditional view of the development of the New Zealand curriculum, this historical account of the development of literacy instruction in New Zealand focuses upon the political, cultural, and ideological processes that underpinned curriculum policy and practice during the period under investigation. By the mid-1950s, the overt ideals of English cultural imperialism had been exchanged for �scientific efficiency�. In this, �value-free� methods continued to embody dominant cultural beliefs under the supposedly neutral approaches of a technocratic approach to literacy. It is argued that the dominance of the cultural-heritage model of literacy instruction, with its elitist version of English language and culture, promoted a British-based �high-culture� tradition in the literacy curriculum. When the supposedly �value-neutral� methodologies were applied to literacy instruction in the early 1950s, these values survived as this technocratic approach to reading disengaged literacy instruction from the wider cultural, political, and social context. In recent years, the debates over reading techniques have once again surfaced in the public and academic press. These debates need to acknowledge this historical context and work towards a more balanced vision of literacy instruction, where literacy is not merely defined as the reading of the word. Current debates over reading techniques, curriculum policy, and literacy instruction practices need to view literacy as a complex process which is linked to a wider political and cultural world.

On the 13th of March, 2007 a failure of the tephra dam at Te-wai-a-moe, the Crater Lake of Mt Ruapehu in the North Island of Aotearoa/New Zealand, caused a lahar to travel down the Whangaehu River channel. The lahar event had been predicted after an eruptive event at Mt Ruapehu eleven years before. As a result of the early prediction, the lahar event and potential risk was well studied, and twenty four management options were proposed to mitigate risk. After a period of consultation with stakeholders, including local iwi, the Minister for Conservation ratified a non-intervention option which emphasised monitoring and prohibited engineering intervention on the mountain. The media event associated with 2007 lahar event drew considerable attention to the 1953 Tangiwai tragedy which occurred following a similar lahar event at Mt Ruapehu. The 2007 lahar media event constructed Tangiwai as a site of risk that belonged to science, technology and Pakeha tragedy, dominating understandings of Tangiwai as an important spiritual place for local iwi and their relationship with Mt Ruapehu. The lahar event also highlighted the dominant western science based hazard management paradigm and its interactions with matauranga Maori. Inherent in the dominant western science paradigm is the natural/social split born of the scientific Enlightenment and the removal of non-humans as actors. Bruno Latour (2004) calls for a move beyond the natural/social dualism and recognition for the importance of non-humans in contesting and recreating worlds; this thesis considers Charles Royal’s tangata whenua paradigm as an answer to Latour’s call.

This thesis examines the demise of the centrality of cultural-heritage ideals in literacy instruction and its replacement with a technocratic view of literacy instruction which empasised the mechanics of reading. The shift in these ideals, which have underpinned literacy instruction in the New Zealand primary school curriculum, is traced from the establishment of a �high-culture� British imperially-based notion of culture in the late 1920s to its replacement with a technocratic approach to literacy instruction in the revisions to primary school curriculum policy in the mid-1950s. This rise of a technocratic approach to literacy instruction resulted from what Frank Fischer has called a �quiet revolution�, where complex interactions between educational administrators, teacher unions, politicians, influential teachers, teacher educators, and politics in the administrative hierarchies and policies which governed the New Zealand primary school. This study provides an alternative vision of the history of the development of the New Zealand primary school curriculum. Previous New Zealand curriculum historians have portrayed the development of the primary school curriculum as a progressive evolution from the �old� methods of the early decades of mass education to the �modern� methods of the 1940s and 1950s. In contrast to the traditional view of the development of the New Zealand curriculum, this historical account of the development of literacy instruction in New Zealand focuses upon the political, cultural, and ideological processes that underpinned curriculum policy and practice during the period under investigation. By the mid-1950s, the overt ideals of English cultural imperialism had been exchanged for �scientific efficiency�. In this, �value-free� methods continued to embody dominant cultural beliefs under the supposedly neutral approaches of a technocratic approach to literacy. It is argued that the dominance of the cultural-heritage model of literacy instruction, with its elitist version of English language and culture, promoted a British-based �high-culture� tradition in the literacy curriculum. When the supposedly �value-neutral� methodologies were applied to literacy instruction in the early 1950s, these values survived as this technocratic approach to reading disengaged literacy instruction from the wider cultural, political, and social context. In recent years, the debates over reading techniques have once again surfaced in the public and academic press. These debates need to acknowledge this historical context and work towards a more balanced vision of literacy instruction, where literacy is not merely defined as the reading of the word. Current debates over reading techniques, curriculum policy, and literacy instruction practices need to view literacy as a complex process which is linked to a wider political and cultural world.

1999 was the first year that Year 8 Maori immersion students were included in national monitoring in New Zealand. The thesis explores how bilingualism, being a second language learner, and culture impact on student performance. It details the National Education Monitoring Project�s (NEMP) efforts to create fair and valid cross-language and cross-culture assessment. The thesis looks at overseas research on the development, translation and administration of tasks and relates this to NEMP�s processes. Issues and problems that arose during the development, translation and administration of tasks are discussed. Several positions emerge from this thesis. Firstly, that despite the problems encountered, there were some clear �benefits�. Benefits lay primarily in: recognition of the complexity of cross-language and cross-cultural assessment, �improved� assessment and translation processes, professional development, new understanding and knowledge areas, identification of areas for future research and the accumulation of data (albeit in some instances problematic). Secondly, that NEMP went to great efforts to consult with and involve Maori. However, the relationship between NEMP and Maori was compromised in that some sectors within immersion education were ambivalent about participating in national monitoring. This ambivalence impacted in a number of ways on the project and the assessment of immersion students. Thirdly, that the inclusion of immersion students in national monitoring needs to be seen within the wider social, political and historical context of New Zealand. Assessment is not a neutral process. Assessment is a social and political activity that has the potential to advantage certain groups in society and disadvantage others. Fourthly, despite NEMP�s efforts to be fair, inclusive and thorough in its processes there were significant issues that compromised students� performance and the quality of the information gathered. Limited language skills of some students, cultural differences, translation and task administration problems at times worked to the disadvantage of immersion students and raise questions about the validity of some findings. Finally, I suggest that the inclusion of Maori immersion students in national monitoring is in some respects premature and unfair. In particular, questions need to be asked about the fairness and validity of making comparisons between bilingual, second language learners in Maori immersion settings and monolingual Maori students learning in English in the mainstream.

This thesis looks at the relationships Board of Trustees need to balance between themselves and their Maori communities. Their researcher was a sole Maori representative on a South Island Board of Trustees and explored the minority position of his role. The research was restricted to one Primary School and one board of Trustees. This research examined the strengths, weaknesses, attitudes and perceptions of Boards of Trustees governance when dealing with issues around their Maori communities. The role of the researcher as both writer and Board of Trustees Member, created ethical issues around objectivity and subjectivity, and sought to show how a researcher is able to remain impartial, in their own study. The research found that relationships between mainstream Boards of Trustees and their Maori communities are better developed by including local iwi or hapu, therefore making a three way relationship.

This study is an attempt to interrogate the shared terrain of academic Maori Studies, Treaty of Waitangi praxis (where �praxis� is defined as the practical use of reason and the resonable use of practice - in contrast to purely theoretical activity) and the University system in this country. In this wide ranging �interrogation�, I will employ a dialectical method of analysis where each of the major Articles of the Treaty are assigned a particular �role� in the Thesis because it represents the central �University� or Kawanatanga Problematic; that Article 2 (Tino Rangatiratanga-Chieftainship) is the Antithesis because it represents the �Maori� contradiction or the Tino Rangatiratanga Mandate; and that Article 3 (Kotahitanga-Unity and Association) is the Synthesis because it represents Treaty Praxis� or the Kotahitanga Solution. This study (like the Treaty) has been organised into five appropriate Parts: Part A (The Preamble) provides the overture for the study, and, as such, contextualises the methodological framework and theoretical paradigms in, on and around which the rest of the study is located. Part B (The Kawanatanga Problematic) will attempt to articulate the struggle of Maori Studies in academia by problematising Kawanatanga (as is the case in most of the scholarship on this critical aspect of the Treaty). Part C (The Tino Rangatiratanga Mandate) will outline three major neglected areas of Tino Rangatiratanga in academia: such as the agency of Maori staff, students and communities; and the status of language and of knowledge taonga (treasures). Part D (The Kotahitanga Solution) will attempt to synthesise Treaty praxis within the debate by outlining and evaluating a number of Treaty principles and examples. Part E (Post-Script) will summarise the personified (signatory) aspects of the study and will also attempt to articulate a possible future for Maori Studies. It is hoped that the analytical framework employed in this study and will also attempt to articulate a possible future for Maori Studies. It is hoped that the analytical framework employed in this study will assist in clarfying (i) the nature of the struggle of a �minority-culture� subject (Maori Studies) within (ii) a �majority-culture� institution (the University), and (iii) the promise of bicultural synthesis (or Treaty praxis) as a means of mediating this struggle. It is also hoped that this thesis will be a contribution to that ongoing debate.

This study is an attempt to interrogate the shared terrain of academic Maori Studies, Treaty of Waitangi praxis (where �praxis� is defined as the practical use of reason and the resonable use of practice - in contrast to purely theoretical activity) and the University system in this country. In this wide ranging �interrogation�, I will employ a dialectical method of analysis where each of the major Articles of the Treaty are assigned a particular �role� in the Thesis because it represents the central �University� or Kawanatanga Problematic; that Article 2 (Tino Rangatiratanga-Chieftainship) is the Antithesis because it represents the �Maori� contradiction or the Tino Rangatiratanga Mandate; and that Article 3 (Kotahitanga-Unity and Association) is the Synthesis because it represents Treaty Praxis� or the Kotahitanga Solution. This study (like the Treaty) has been organised into five appropriate Parts: Part A (The Preamble) provides the overture for the study, and, as such, contextualises the methodological framework and theoretical paradigms in, on and around which the rest of the study is located. Part B (The Kawanatanga Problematic) will attempt to articulate the struggle of Maori Studies in academia by problematising Kawanatanga (as is the case in most of the scholarship on this critical aspect of the Treaty). Part C (The Tino Rangatiratanga Mandate) will outline three major neglected areas of Tino Rangatiratanga in academia: such as the agency of Maori staff, students and communities; and the status of language and of knowledge taonga (treasures). Part D (The Kotahitanga Solution) will attempt to synthesise Treaty praxis within the debate by outlining and evaluating a number of Treaty principles and examples. Part E (Post-Script) will summarise the personified (signatory) aspects of the study and will also attempt to articulate a possible future for Maori Studies. It is hoped that the analytical framework employed in this study and will also attempt to articulate a possible future for Maori Studies. It is hoped that the analytical framework employed in this study will assist in clarfying (i) the nature of the struggle of a �minority-culture� subject (Maori Studies) within (ii) a �majority-culture� institution (the University), and (iii) the promise of bicultural synthesis (or Treaty praxis) as a means of mediating this struggle. It is also hoped that this thesis will be a contribution to that ongoing debate.

Since the decoding of the human genome project concluded in 2003, rapid technological advances in the area of human genetics including genetic testing and bio banking have accelerated. Public discussion of genetic testing and biobanking are the focus of this thesis. Genetic profiling and predictive tests aim to establish the causal conditions for disorders such as Fragile X, cystic fibrosis and Huntington's disease. Biobanking involves the storage of genetic material for genetic research and can also include genealogical research. The complex and varied relationships that Maori (indigenous peoples of New Zealand) in different social locations have with western science (and human genetics in particular) is at the heart of this thesis. The thesis explores the responses of three differently located Maori social groups to the challenges posed by genetic testing and biobanking. Focus/contact group discussion with Maori members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a group of rongoa or traditional Maori health practitioners, and a group of Maori lawyers illustrate both diversity in the ways in which Maori respond to the issues posed by human genetics, and connections among them as they draw on Maori ontologies and epistemologies. In the analyses of these discussions which constitute the core of this thesis, Maori can be seen juggling alternative frames of reference and negotiating between knowledge systems. The thesis does not purport to provide an overview of Maori responses to genetic testing. Instead it uses discussion among three groups of research participants to illustrate the relevance of temporal and relational knowledge in local situations. A range of social science and Te Ao Maori conceptual tools are used to analyse conversations among research participants. These tools include discussion of power/knowledge and governmentality, actor network theory, sociological discussions of agency as well as concepts of whakapapa, kaitiaki, mauri, and mana motuhake. My goal is to illustrate both connection and heterogeneity in Maori responses to the challenges posed by genetic testing and bio banking.