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According to Walker (1995; p.19), one of the most significant features of the 1987 physical education syllabus was the successful identification of a Maori dimension of movement, Te Reo Kori. The incorporation of both Tikanga Maori and Taha Maori through movement provided a unique flavour to our work in schools, which was widely acclaimed both nationally and internationally. However, despite the delight of many (see for example Stothart, 1992; p.5) at the opportunity to redress previous neglect of Maori dimensions of movement as Te Reo Kori claimed its rightful place in the sun, it now appears that the sunshine was to be short-lived. Te Reo Kori has been clearly trivialised in the current Draft Health and Physical Education Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 1997). In this article I express some concerns about that loss and explore the important potential roles of Te Reo Kori in the enhancement of students' personal identity and self-worth, and in the transmission and transformation of culture.
Hutia te rito o te harakeke,
kei whea te komako e ko?
ka rere ki uta, ka rere ki tai
Ui mai koe ki a au,
he aha te mea nui i te ao?
Maku e lci atu,
he tangata, he tangata, he tangata!
If you pluck out the centre shoot of the
flax, where will the bellbird sing?
It will fly inland, it will fly towards the
sea
If you ask me,
What is the most important thing in the
world?
I will reply,
People, people, people!
This well-known whakatauki (proverb) is a powerful metaphor for the way in which the current Draft Health and Physical Education Curriculum positions the child at the centre of the formal education process. Metge (I990a; p.55) explains that the rito, the centre shoot of the flax root, is a child, issuing from and nurtured and protected by its parents and, beyond them, its grandparents and extended family. The centre blades of the flax closest to the rito should not be cut, or the root will no longer put out new ones. Although the images conveyed in this whakatauki are traditionally applied to the whanau, it is appropriate also for conceptualising health and physical education in our programmes of the future. I see the child as the rito, nurtured...