Extending Māori Concepts in Secondary School Geography

Abstract

Secondary school geography brings together tāngata (people) and whenua (land), the central concepts of te ao Māori (the Māori world). Therefore, geography is ideally placed to respond to calls for mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) to gain “equal status” with Western knowledge. This article reports how 47 teachers integrated Māori concepts into secondary school geography. Data were collected using an online questionnaire and analysed through content analysis and reflexive thematic analysis. The research identified a range of geography‐related Māori concepts. The findings suggest that including more conceptual mātauranga Māori, especially in physical geography, would help achieve “equal status for mātauranga Māori”.