Ko te Ara Angitu: Re-indigenising Success: An interview with keynote speaker Janelle Riki-Waaka.

The article focuses on the concept of "Ko te Ara Angitu: Re-indigenising Success" for akonga Māori (Māori learners), as explained by education leader Janelle Riki-Waaka. It critiques the prevailing Eurocentric and standardized measures of academic success, advocating instead for a decolonized approach that honors Māori values, language, culture, and collective well-being. Riki-Waaka emphasizes the importance of engaging Māori whānau and communities in co-designing assessment criteria that reflect Māori aspirations and knowledge systems, including broader definitions of literacy encompassing cultural and environmental fluencies. She highlights the need for schools to create environments with strong mauri (life force) that affirm Māori identity and calls for cultural capability as a prerequisite for educators in Aotearoa. The article also discusses the privileged position of current rangatahi (youth) who have greater access to te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori, positioning them to lead future advancements in Māori self-determination and equity under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. [Extracted from the article]