Photo caption:听Dee Tawhai, Dr Adrienne Paul, Rachael Evans, William Grant and Vice-Chancellor Professor Cheryl de la Rey at Hui Whakam膩nawa | Celebration of Success.听
The 鈥業ndigenising the LLB鈥 initiative has been developed over the past two years to support Faculty of Law staff embed tikanga M膩ori within the Bachelor of Laws degree at Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha | University at Canterbury (UC).听
Preliminary feedback shows the project has led to strong engagement and had a positive impact on both teaching and practice in the faculty, with students observing noticeable improvements in their courses.
Led by law lecturers William Grant (Ng膩i Tahu, Ngati P艒rou), Rachael Evans (Ng膩ti Tama, Ng膩ti Pamoana), Dr Adrienne Paul (Ng膩ti Awa, Ng膩ti Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau, Ng膩i Tuhoe, Te Arawa ki Maketu), and the Kai膩rahi of the Faculty of Law, Dee Tawhai (Ng膩 Puhi), the initiative underscores their commitment to indigenising law education at UC.听
Grant notes that there has been greater recognition by the courts of the place of tikanga M膩ori in influencing the development of the common law of Aotearoa New Zealand. 鈥淎s such, legal institutions are increasingly acknowledging tikanga M膩ori as a legitimate source of law. The law degree must be responsive and relevant to this changing tide in the profession. This prompted the Council of Legal Education, and law schools, to implement one of the most substantial systemic changes to the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) since 1925,鈥 Grant says.
鈥淲e were in a unique position in that we didn鈥檛 have a strong presence of established M膩ori Law academics at UC. With a young, early-career M膩ori Law academic team we had to figure out how we would approach this, all while receiving valuable support from the faculty and the Office of Treaty Partnerships.鈥澨
The project design draws on the University鈥檚 core values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and tiakitanga.听
鈥淲e鈥檝e taken the approach based on the concepts of whanaungatanga (community). We wouldn鈥檛 be able to do what we are doing without the support of the community and the faculty,鈥 Grant says.听听
Tawhai, who is Kai膩rahi for the faculty, says 鈥楬e Poutama鈥 written by Justice Christian Whata underscores the importance of experiential learning on a marae for understanding te ao M膩ori. 鈥淲e went on to the R膩paki marae for a couple of days which enabled people to sense te ao M膩ori from something other than a textbook 鈥 it was deliberately more experiential. This approach built foundational knowledge of te ao M膩ori and its application to the law curriculum.鈥澨
Tawhai says the experience was so successful, they are planning another trip to the marae in 2025.听
鈥淭e reo M膩ori is central - everything from te ao M膩ori comes from the language. It鈥檚 about grasping the profound meanings within words, their origins, and cultural significance.鈥.听听
Grant says the 鈥業ndigenising the LLB鈥 initiative is not about replacing existing content but rather about integrating different perspectives, examining intersections, and fostering respectful discussions in a safe environment. This process should be collaborative and encourage open discussions. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a dialogue about how this content fits in with the existing content and how the content might change. It鈥檚 a collaborative discussion and we need open minds and safe spaces to do that,鈥 Grant says.听
For their outstanding contributions, the Indigenising the LLB project team has received the 2024 UC Hapori Community of Practice Award, presented at Hui Whakam膩nawa | Celebration of Success.听
According to Grant and Tawhai, students should leave university being able to critically question the status quo. 鈥淭hey should be critical of those historical structures our law degree has been complicit in maintaining, the law and the state legal system and how these engage with tikanga M膩ori and concepts and influences of colonisation,鈥 Grant says.听听
鈥淚 see the future of legal education at Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha as being innovative, bicultural and critical, yet grounded in a South Island/Ng膩i Tahu context. I see our law graduates making a real impact, both in terms of jurisprudence, to how the law develops, and the ongoing dialogue between tikanga M膩ori and the state legal system.鈥
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 - Quality Education.
