HE VAKA MOANA
There is a Tongan saying:
‘pikipiki hama kae vaevae manava’
‘Pikipiki hama’ means to stick, bind or link strongly to the outrigger of a vaka moana (ocean going canoe). ‘Vaevae’ means to give or share and ‘manava’ – similar to the word manawa in Māori – is a deeply complex, core term in Pasifika expression meaning the heart, centre, womb or breath (Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Taisi Efi, 2003).
This saying is used to capture the ancient practice of lashing together vaka moana as they traversed the Pacific Ocean to share rations, swap resources and share knowledge before untying and continuing on their journeys.
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Conceptually we draw on the rich knowledge and imagery contained in this saying.
This project sees project leaders each navigating their vaka moana in purposeful and deliberate ways within the institution, regularly coming together – pikipiki hama – to share ideas and resources, gain knowledge from other ‘navigators’ before setting course again on purposeful and deliberate voyages to reach their desired destinations.
The 2018 theme for the Schuler Educational Enhancement and Development (SEED) Fund for Innovation in Teaching projects is Equity Challenges, with priority given to projects that closely align with the CLeaR Fellowship theme ‘He vaka moana: Navigating Māori and Pasifika student success’. Investigators for the below projects were asked to respond to the following questions: What are the most pressing equity challenges in your department, school or faculty? How might you reframe your assessments, classroom activities and online interactions to foster inclusivity and celebrate diversity? And how can the changes that you make on behalf of specific groups – for example, Māori and Pasifika students navigating the pākehāpalagi mainstream; female students in male-dominated disciplines or vice versa; international students struggling to understand diphthong-laden Kiwi accents – be leveraged to benefit all students?