Generations of New Zealand-born children weren’t taught the history of our country at school. Or, if we were, it was a version that was well past it’s ‘use by’ date. A handful had good teachers who knew their stuff. It’s partly thanks to them and the New Zealand History Teachers Association that our history has become a compulsory part of the school curriculum. That’s good news for kids at school today and in years to come. But it leaves many of the rest of us with big gaps in our knowledge. The online courses here will try to fill some of those gaps.
They are the culmination of a shared desire to learn more about who we are as people and as a nation. Former bosses, peers, audience members, test users, whānau and friends have all helped me get to this point. Tēnei te mihi ki a koutou.
But the person I need to thank the most is an Aunty, Honor Goldsmith. She spent over 40 years teaching in Tairāwhiti and Hawkes Bay, including kapa haka (as seen in the photo on the left). Above all, she taught us to love learning and te ao Māori. In all of these courses, I’ll be sharing some of that WITH you and FOR her mokopuna tuarua (great-grandchildren).
