An Equity Equation

Address at the Coalition For Pasifika Languages in Education, Public Meeting at Nga Tapuwae Community Centre, Mangere 16th February 2011

An Equity Equation

Malo e lelei, my name is Rachel Panara. I am Tongan (AND Greek!) and I am a lawyer and a teacher. I have been involved in Pacific Education in the tertiary sector for the last 14 years at BEST Pacific Institute of Education. I am a primary trained teacher and have also worked as a Literacy Educator in youth programmes.

I well remember, the work of many of us in Pacific education in 2001, when we worked hard to advance a Pacific Strategy for the first time in tertiary education policy, and “Strategy Five” was born! The first Pacific-specific tertiary strategy was launched in 2002. It has since been deconstructed somewhat, but I must commend the work last year by a colleague in the MPIA, who stood in the gap for us and ensured a Pacific strategy was included in tertiary education policy. This is why we must jealously guard the gains made by all of us in the Pacific Education Plan (PEP) and fight any erosion or policy deletions to the PEP that do not serve us.

I speak to you tonight from my educator’s heart,

• because education is a key determinant of our health, wealth & wellbeing;
•
• because the health, wealth & wellbeing of our Pacific communities underpins the success of Auckland as a “Supercity” and the wellbeing of Aotearoa NZ as a nation;
•
FIRSTLY: I take this opportunity to acknowledge the leadership, work and courage invested already in these issues by the 12 Pacific families who have taken these issues up with the Human Rights Commission (HRC). Suffice to say, the HRC acknowledges the issues to be of constitutional importance, and so I hope that this early indication already by the HRC of the constitutional importance of our Pasifika languages, will serve to grow our collective courage to articulate these issues in such a way so as to build a shared vision for strengthening the status of Pacific languages as official minority languages of Aotearoa NZ.

This is a goal worth striving for; this is a goal that dignifies us coming together tonight to discuss the issues and find ways to work together going forward.

Clearly there is a constitutional basis for positioning Pacific languages as official minority languages, that is sourced in NZs legal constitutional arrangements and also originates in our historical relationships with our Pacific nations.

What has started out as cuts to Pacific language resources in the ECE sector and the removal of important bilingual goals in the PEP, has alerted those of us working in Pacific education, policy and law, to rally against a “death by 1000 cuts” scenario, whereby the mat is pulled out from under our Pacific ECE and primary sector, and the flow on effects of these adverse changes in the ECE sector, knock on and impact our Pacific students through primary, secondary and then tertiary sectors.

After 14 years in Pacific education, I see first-hand, the impacts of under-achievement for Pacific students who make up a disproportionate % of the long-tail of underachievement in secondary and tertiary education that the OECD profiles for NZ. Many of us here tonight have a vested interest in promoting and protecting the Pacific ECE and primary sectors who are nesting the seedlings, growing them ready to pass on to us though the primary, secondary and then tertiary sectors.

If the promotion of our Pacific languages and the development of bilingualism in the ECE and primary sectors, supports literacy in the English language, AND in fact, ENHANCES literacy in English, as research is showing, as well as growing culturally confident and conversant young people; then certainly this can be seen from an educators point of view (but also from a family/community point of view, a tax payers point of view, from a policy point of view, and surely from a government point of view) as a highly valuable strategy in addressing literacy and the positive flow on effect for English literacy development at further stages of schooling – SO, bilingualism and the promotion of Pacific languages at the ECE and primary levels should be championed as part of an inclusive and effective schooling strategy that contributes to addressing the long tail of underachievement in NZs education system.

From a legal point of view, I want to emphasise systemic under-achievement as opposed to Pacific underachievement which puts more of an emphasis on blaming Pacific kids, families and Pacific communities. The long-tail of under-achievement in NZs education system is systemic failure not Pacific failure. Our Pacific kids do not genetically malfunction somewhere in our education system. These are systemic flaws not the failures of individuals or communities. The esteemed speaker before me was so right when she challenged those that blame, the “long brown tail of under-achievement” on Pacific students, and that say because English is not their first language, therefore they fail...NO, this is a flawed premise and it just goes to show how literacy and the place of bilingualism in Pasifika languages and the gains in bi-literacy, are not understood or valued.

The Greatest Challenge:

The greatest challenge going forward after tonight, is not so much legal, as there is a legal pathway that can support the issues and there is legal advice from the top constitutional lawyer in the country on this, and a constitutional basis on which to develop Pacific languages as official minority languages.

NO, the greatest challenge going forward tonight is to work together to build consensus and action, not to let these issues become predominantly owned in the political realm. These are our issues to resolve first and foremost as parents, students, families, communities, educators, and citizens. We need to own these issues and the solutions and then, seek the support of our law makers across the political parties. The issues raised in the MOE’s PEP policy, and resourcing decisions regarding bilingualism, and the big goal of raising the status of Pacific languages, these issues represent an opportunity for us to unite and work together for what is right, what is just, and what is equitable for Pacific languages, culture, and the educational wellbeing of our Pacific people.

BECAUSE: the right to education is an empowerment right, and for minority communities, education is the primary vehicle by which economically and socially marginalised can fight poverty and participate fully in our nation. Education is one of the best financial investments that our state can make – these issues before us tonight are constitutional issues of the highest order concerning the rights of minority cultural and language rights, and the right to education free from systemic discrimination, direct or indirect.

I put this challenge to all of us tonight, that these issues go to the heart of what is just and healthful for Pacific communities and which deserve cross-party support from our MP’s across the different political parties, as well as our community and cross-sector support.

Malo aupito

ends

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