Some Ministry of Education initiatives such as this research project provide the opportunity to explore and develop responses that are anchored in a 'Mäori' worldview without necessarily duplicating or having to be compatible with those developed for mainstream education. Part of the challenge in achieving this however is trying to determine what we mean by a Mäori worldview in education (pedagogy). Evelyn Stokes (1985, p 7) provides some guidance

It cannot be assumed that there is a uniform Mäori view on things.
Opinions and attitudes are just as varied and contradictory in the Mäori world as they are in Päkehä society.

as does Cunningham 1998 (p. 396) who acknowledges

The dimensions of future Mäori knowledge must take cognisance of a contemporary Mäori worldview and acknowledge the substantive heterogeneity which now exists among Mäori. Mäori are now more culturally and socially diverse than in any point in the past.

Mäori pedagogy as it applied in traditional and historical contexts is well documented in various sources. (Makareti, 1938, Pere, 1982; Metge, 1983; Best' 1986; Hemara, 2000). Contemporary definitions of Mäori pedagogy are being shaped through efforts to successfully blend traditional Mäori views of learning and teaching with modern principles and practices evolved directly from those valued by the colonising, hegemonic culture in this country.

The Education Review Office argues that a professional community where pedagogical issues are debated and shared has not yet developed (unpaged 2001). This suggests, incorrectly, that Mäori pedagogy is developing in a vacuum. Teachers however will often rationalise and theorise to colleagues about their practice from a Mäori perspective during the course of the school day and at school staff and syndicate meetings. Interviews conducted for research purposes as demonstrated by the Bishop (et al, 2001) study and participation in Mäori medium specific professional development hui provide further opportunities to share and debate such ideas. Even attending English medium specific in-service will lead teachers from Mäori medium to synthesise and analyse information in relation to personally held definitions of Mäori pedagogy and discard, adopt or adapt this information accordingly.

All schools funded by the government are obligated to conform to the National Curriculum Framework that 'sets out national directions for schooling and provides for consistency in classrooms' (Ministry of Education, 1993 p. 9). Pedagogical practices are therefore expected to be aligned to curriculum requirements documented in the curriculum statements.

While these statements were also developed in Mäori, in reality the majority largely parallel those developed to support English medium programmes as the co-ordinator for the development of the Pütaiao (Science) curriculum statement admits:

The curricula that are being done currently do not give Mäori a real valid say. Although currently curricula are written in Mäori, we did not have any say in what knowledge was included. We had the opportunity to translate the achievement objectives, which is what kids have to know, and we had the chance to put our own learning experiences and assessment examples in, but we didn't get the chance to negotiate what the kids actually had to learn. Hopefully when the next curriculum review takes place we will have that chance and not only get curricula that are written i roto i te reo (sic), but get a curriculum that is written from a Mäori worldview. (Waiti 2000. p 71)

Mäori medium education is a generic term used to cover alternatives for receiving instruction in te reo Mäori. In the primary school sector, it is erroneous to think that this implies uniformity or some form of standardisation. Options, which can vary from community to community include single classes or units operating within a mainstream setting, to total immersion schools to Kura Kaupapa Mäori who subscribe to Te Aho Matua, a philosophical document, to Kura Kaupapa Mäori, who are seeking alternative status. They also cover a gamut of language mixes from 0 - 30% Mäori to English instruction to 80 - 100% as well as diversification in terms of degree of deviation from mainstream English medium practice.

Most schools offering programmes where Mäori is the, or one of the languages of instruction, are also catering for children who upon entry to school can be classified into distinct and disparate language groups.

1. Children for whom Mäori is their primary language of communication.
2. Children who have mixed competencies in more than two languages.
3. Children who have dual capacity in both English and Mäori (infant bilinguals).
4. Children for whom English is their first language but also have some competency in the Mäori language (elective bilinguals).
5. Children for whom English is their first and only language and who will begin their Mäori language learning at school 1.