What's good for Māori students is good for all students
Sir Sidney outlines his aspirations for rangatahi… and non-Māori students as well.
Transcript
I think for Māori students what I would expect is that they are comfortable in their own society first. They are comfortable as Māori, they've got the.....they have prepared themselves well for it. They can speak the language, they know the culture, they can participate in activities on the marae without fear. And at the same time I want them to be also comfortable in mainstream society. They know the language. They know the culture, they can achieve in both areas. And they are happy to do so. And so for Māori students the task ahead of them might be a bit more difficult and a bit more demanding in that they have to master, you know two cultures, two ways of doing things, and be able to steer a path through the two streams as it were, and make that contribution to both sides, and to the nation as a whole.
So for Pākehā students, non-Māori students I would expect the same. I would want them to be comfortable in mainstream society. I want them to be comfortable in Māori society as well as their own whatever that might be. So it's quite an ask.