Kua takoto te mānuka, mā wai e hiki ake? Advancing a Te Tiriti o Waitangi-led approach to mental health education in schools

Abstract

This article engages mātauranga Māori, social psychology and the sociology of education to argue that an individualistic approach to mental health education in schools is inadequate. In this article we discuss a recent national school curriculum policy that demonstrates the ways mental health education can be framed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi, informed by the determinants of health, and culturally located in worldviews representative of Te Ao Māori. This framework encourages schools take a ‘whole of school’ approach to mental health education, embedded in teacher development, curriculum learning, and community engagement. We argue that this approach – aligned with the three articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi – necessarily involves schools consulting with diverse ākonga (learners) and communities, involving them in mental health curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation. When conducted in culturally and socially conscious ways, the relationship between boards, schools and the wider school community can embody effective governance (article one), honour hapū, iwi and Māori rangatiratanga (article two) and encourage equal participation and inclusion for equitable mental health education and outcomes (article three). We argue that this approach to mental health is Te Tiriti-led, relational, and more likely to be well-being enhancing for diverse young people and communities.

Keywords

• curriculum
• schools
• policy
• mana
• well-being
• mental health