Te Ira Tangata: sexuality education programme for Kura Kaupapa Māori
Mon 25 Jun 2018
A te reo Māori resource guide for a kaupapa Māori sexuality education programme has been developed by Te Whāriki Takapo. Te Ira Tangata is ...
A te reo Māori resource guide for a kaupapa Māori sexuality education programme has been developed by Te Whāriki Takapo.
Te Ira Tangata is a sexuality education programme for students at total immersion Kura Kaupapa Māori schools. The programme involves eight sessions in Years 7 and 8 students. The programme "... draws upon mātauranga Māori [Māori knowledge] understandings of te pūhuruhurutanga [puberty] and te tuakiri o te tamaiti [children or young's peoples identity]".
The programme resource guide outlines the content for each of the eight weeks including activities. The guide includes links to freely available electronic resources to support kura and kaiako (teachers) to deliver the programme.
Te Whāriki Takapo worked alongside kaiako (teachers), whānau, and Māori community experts to design, teach and evaluate the programme. The programme is available to download for free. Teachers are encouraged to customise the programme so that it meets local requirement.
The Project Leader is Dr Joeliee Seed-Pihama (Te Atiawa, Taranaki). For questions or comments contact joeliee@tewhariki.org.nz.
Te Whāriki Takapou provides Māori sexual and reproductive health promotion and research services. Other resources available from Te Whāriki Takapo include:
- Te Aitanga a Tiki, a collection of Māori and English language resources sourced from Māori knowledge that relate to sexual and reproductive health.
- Mana Tangata Whenua: National Guidelines for Sexual and Reproductive Health Promotion with Māori (2016) - includes videos, links and practical exercises to support understanding and applying the guidelines.
Related news
Aotearoa New Zealand's first indigenous leadership summit, Te Ara Moana, will be held in Auckland in July. Te Ara Moana is a youth lead initiative, designed, facilitated and evaluated by rangatahi Māori. Workshops will be held during the event to work on impactful solutions in five key areas: youth suicide, diversity, environment, freedom from addiction and cyber bullying.
Related research, resources and programmes
Indigenous (Māori) sexual health psychologies in New Zealand: Delivering culturally congruent sexuality education by University of Auckland academics Jade Le Grice and Virginia Braun (2017) looks at decolonising notions of Māori sexuality, relationships and reproduction. This research utilises an Indigenous feminist (Mana Wāhine) methodology and interviews with Māori participants to "explore how Māori knowledges (mātauranga Māori), responsive to the surrounding colonising context, were interwoven through four themes: relationships, reproductive responsibility, open conversations about sexuality and contraceptive education."
'Hooked up': Te hononga whaiāipo: Reducing and preventing violence in taitamariki Māori intimate partner relationships (Dr Moana Eruera, 2015) reports on an indigenous whānau violence prevention study that explored the supports that taitamariki Māori (Māori young people) identified would assist them to develop healthy intimate partner relationships.
Growing up Takatāpui: Whānau Journeys, by Dr Elizabeth Kerekere, Tīwhanawhana Trust and RainbowYOUTH, is an English language resource that provides support and information for takatāpui rangatahi (sexuality and gender diverse youth) and their whānau.
Related media
BANG! Season 2 Episode 6: Takatāpui, Radio NZ, 02.07.2018
Young migrants want better, earlier teaching about sexual consent in NZ, NZ Herald, 08.06.2018
Five minutes with: a Kaupapa Māori researcher, Newsroom, 24.05.2018
All teachers share responsibility for sex education, let's support them, Stuff, 22.05.2018
Image: Pixabay