Abstract:
This article comments on political and philosophical questions about Pākehā contribution to kaupapa Māori thought and practice. Observations are made about Pākehā exclusion anxieties, and I reflect on my long-term experience as a Pākehā research collaborator in Māori education research. I point out that the ‘for Māori, by Māori’ principle of kaupapa Māori can be seen as a definitional statement, and primarily a political statement of Māori inclusion rather than Pākehā exclusion. An argument is made for positive - and imperfect - Pākehā engagement with kaupapa Māori that goes beyond cultural sensitivity, and that demands from educational researchers a personal quality not directly teachable, but developed through an openness to being taught by experience, a tolerance for uncertainty, and an understanding of power.