Grab that kite! Teaching mathematics in te reo Māori

This article uses the story of Whakatauihuihu to help describe how the teaching of mathematics in te reo Māori (the Māori language) has developed. It begins by recounting the enthusiasm of the teachers who worked on the development of the mathematics vocabulary in the 1980s, and then moves on to show how the teaching of mathematics in te reo Māori is no longer seen as an innovation that will solve all problems for Māori students. Instead, like a teenager going through the initial phase of self-reflection, teachers are now considering what teaching practices can support students and how these practices can be developed. The article concludes by looking at recent research carried out in Te Kura o te Koutu (Te Koutu School).