A Waitangi Tribunal inquiry into inequities alleged by kaupapa Māori schools has opened in Tāmaki Makaurau.
The urgent claim has been brought by Te Rūnanga Nui, the body which oversees kura kaupapa Māori.
The tribunal panel was welcomed with a powhiri from current and former students of Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Hoani Waititi Marae, the first kura kaupapa Māori which was opened in 1985.
Members of Te Rūnanga Nui, the tribunal and the Ministry of Education are welcomed onto the marae.
Lead claimant Dr Cathy Dewes said the claim was about who had the authority over how te reo was taught.
The Crown did not have the understanding necessary to oversee Māori language education, she said.
Te Aho Matua is the foundation document for kura kaupapa and the philosophical base for the curriculum.
The tribunal hears evidence from Te Rūnanga Nui.
The Crown did not understand Te Aho Matua and had attempted to assimilate kura kaupapa into the mainstream schooling system, Dewes told the tribunal.
She hoped the Crown and the Ministry of Education would be able to see the benefits to Māori of kura kaupapa.
Credit: radionz.co.nz
