Te Taumata -te Timata: the Pinnacle - the First Step

<p>Maori with Bachelors degrees in Information Technologies (IT) have specialist knowledge and skills far in advance of the general population of Aotearoa/New Zealand. Problematically, this point is lost in dominant higher education discourses that marginalise and position Maori negatively. The 'silence of the archives' with regard to Maori narratives of higher education is a compounding factor. While the largest proportions of Maori pursue tertiary education in the New Zealand Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITP), very little is known about them. Kaupapa Maori theorising and research practices enabled a new approach in an 'insurrection of suppressed knowledges' to identify and inform issues that are problematic for Maori in particular. A traditional Maori metaphor of poutama is used as a heuristic to illuminate core values and foundations of a Maori worldview and philosophy, to generate a 'reversal discourse' that gives a Maori perspective of the problems. Computer Graphic technologies portray the spirals of learning implied by the multi-levelled, multi stepped poutama; two heuristically separated worlds of Te Ao Maori and Te Ao Pakeha and their integration into Te Ao Hou, The New World. Re-interpreting a traditional role of Pae Arahi (Guides) as a Kaupapa Maori research approach, respected members of tangata whenua, the indigenous people of the land the ITPs are built on, facilitated appropriate entry into fieldwork. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews conducted in 2006-2007 with 17 tauira Maori (students and graduates), 7 IT staff and 12 Maori staff from three ITPs are the basis of narratives that 'positively image' Maori who gained IT qualifications in the ITPs. A re-presentation of poutama as whakapapa or genealogy explains the significance of foundational Maori values of wairuatanga (spirituality), whenua (land), tangata (people) and whanau (family), in academic success. A Maori worldview offers new perspectives of what success is and challenges of being Maori in the tertiary academy that are not commonly understood or acknowledged by non-Maori. Five steps on a learning poutama follow the tauira Maori in their first introductions to IT and prior education; enlightenment to the value of higher education for whanau and openness to new understandings in the IT field; increasing confidence in their abilities to learn, to apply and share IT knowledges; mastering the requirements of degrees in the academy and the challenges of the virtually mono-cultural IT field and ITP environments; their achievement of a pinnacle of IT degrees and other qualifications, and their first steps into work. Te Taumata, Te Timata expresses potentials for 'Maori Ways' to be combined with 'IT Ways' and for more Maori voices to be heard in the higher education discourse. Centrally it celebrates 17 unique individuals who are role models, and inspirations for other Maori to follow to their own successes.</p>

Te Taumata -te Timata: the Pinnacle - the First Step

<p>Maori with Bachelors degrees in Information Technologies (IT) have specialist knowledge and skills far in advance of the general population of Aotearoa/New Zealand. Problematically, this point is lost in dominant higher education discourses that marginalise and position Maori negatively. The 'silence of the archives' with regard to Maori narratives of higher education is a compounding factor. While the largest proportions of Maori pursue tertiary education in the New Zealand Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITP), very little is known about them. Kaupapa Maori theorising and research practices enabled a new approach in an 'insurrection of suppressed knowledges' to identify and inform issues that are problematic for Maori in particular. A traditional Maori metaphor of poutama is used as a heuristic to illuminate core values and foundations of a Maori worldview and philosophy, to generate a 'reversal discourse' that gives a Maori perspective of the problems. Computer Graphic technologies portray the spirals of learning implied by the multi-levelled, multi stepped poutama; two heuristically separated worlds of Te Ao Maori and Te Ao Pakeha and their integration into Te Ao Hou, The New World. Re-interpreting a traditional role of Pae Arahi (Guides) as a Kaupapa Maori research approach, respected members of tangata whenua, the indigenous people of the land the ITPs are built on, facilitated appropriate entry into fieldwork. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews conducted in 2006-2007 with 17 tauira Maori (students and graduates), 7 IT staff and 12 Maori staff from three ITPs are the basis of narratives that 'positively image' Maori who gained IT qualifications in the ITPs. A re-presentation of poutama as whakapapa or genealogy explains the significance of foundational Maori values of wairuatanga (spirituality), whenua (land), tangata (people) and whanau (family), in academic success. A Maori worldview offers new perspectives of what success is and challenges of being Maori in the tertiary academy that are not commonly understood or acknowledged by non-Maori. Five steps on a learning poutama follow the tauira Maori in their first introductions to IT and prior education; enlightenment to the value of higher education for whanau and openness to new understandings in the IT field; increasing confidence in their abilities to learn, to apply and share IT knowledges; mastering the requirements of degrees in the academy and the challenges of the virtually mono-cultural IT field and ITP environments; their achievement of a pinnacle of IT degrees and other qualifications, and their first steps into work. Te Taumata, Te Timata expresses potentials for 'Maori Ways' to be combined with 'IT Ways' and for more Maori voices to be heard in the higher education discourse. Centrally it celebrates 17 unique individuals who are role models, and inspirations for other Maori to follow to their own successes.</p>

Section 3: Preliminary Material

• Preface It is our privilege to present the proceedings of the two-day online Conference entitled “Indo-European Conference on Sustainable Materials, Environment and Construction (COSMEC-2021)”. The Conference was held virtually considering COVID – 19 pandemic, ensuing gathering and travel restrictions in the nation and worldwide. Yet, despite the issues, the virtual COSMEC 2021 took place on 23rd and 24th September 2021 and attracted a more significant number and diverse mix of attendees than it would have done as per expectations. The Organizers, i.e. Chandigarh University, Mohali, India, which runs the event, seek to promote international collaborations in Research and Innovation. The Conference was delivered through ZOOM Cloud Meeting technology. More than 150 extra individuals signed up to COSMEC-2021 over the guests, presenters, and invited attendees because of easier online access. Collectively more than 300 people attended from 15 countries. The Conference had delegates, participants, and attendees from Tanzania, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Russia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and European countries — some of whom might not otherwise have come because of the distance and time constraints in traveling. The Conference consists of six sessions, including inaugural and valedictory. Prof M. Dana Oprisan from EPF Graduate School of Engineering, France graced the plenary Session along with Dr. Adarsh Pal Vig, Chairman, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), Punjab, India. Furthermore, six Keynote addresses were given by researchers and scientists from Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT’s), National Institutes of Technology (NIT’s), and National Institute of Technical Teacher Training & Research (NITTTR), Chandigarh. Overall, 80 paper presentations were delivered by authors in four technical sessions of the Conference based on specializations. Authors were facilitated with 15 minutes to present their papers, followed with 5 minutes of discussion and query session. The paper presentation and discussion emphasized incorporating sustainable materials, their environmental impact assessment, and compatibility with construction. The national and international research scenario on sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment and the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance. The primary objectives of sustainability are reducing the consumption of non-renewable resources, minimizing waste, and creating a healthy environment. Consequently, interdisciplinary and integrated innovations have resulted in numerous smart solutions. This event provided a forum for researchers from different scientific and engineering fields to deliberate and collaborate at national and international levels for translating research into intelligent possibilities to make human life better. Chandigarh University, Gharuan, the leading university in research and Innovation in India, sponsored this Conference. This Conference provided an opportunity for in-depth technical discussions and exchange of innovative ideas on a wide range of possibilities to explore the potential of their applications in industry and society. Moreover, young researchers were exposed to emerging trends and research areas that have significant technical and scientific importance for sustainable development. List of Conference photographs, Sponsor or funding acknowledgements, Lists of committees/participants are available in the pdf

The Visibility of an Indigenized Curriculum during Covid 19 New Zealand. An Exploration of the Experience from Indigenous Academics

The 2020 Covid19 global pandemic disrupted teaching practices of 8 universities and 16 Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) in New Zealand. This disruption led to the curriculum being transferred from internal classes to online delivery. It unleashed a surge of research activity and publications in the education sector. However, little research was conducted to investigate the effect to the academic experience and even less research explored the impact to Indigenized curriculums. This paper explored websites for the visibility of Indigenous programmes and Indigenous academic experiences. It does this by: 1) describing the 8 universities and 16 Polytechnics for context; 2) identifying the type of Indigenous Schools/Faculties in universities and ITPs and whether Indigenous programmes of study were visible; 3) two authors providing personal accounts as Indigenous academics moving from internal teaching to online delivery. Specific mention is made of an Indigenous avatar named “Digi Hami from NZ.” The exploration utilized a M?ori-Centered and social research approach. The analysis drew main themes and suggested that some universities and ITPs were better prepared in the transition and the virtual mode of teaching was unable to retain the same quality and depth of learning required for an Indigenized curriculum.

Caste and Higher Education in India

Subramanian’s The Caste of Merit addresses the issue of educational inequality in colonial and independent India, focusing on the Indian Institutes of Technology (iits) that have trained the engineering elites since the 1950s. The members of the high caste who initially comprised this group ascribed their personal success to merit, not to background. India’s policy of allowing disadvantaged caste groups to enter the (iits), however, challenged the high castes’ representation of their educational privilege as simply a matter of talent. Subramanian’s view of the upper-caste position as an attempt to forestall progress toward a more egalitarian Indian society opens a methodological debate about the fundamental epistemic demands that scholars must satisfy before they adopt social causes above and beyond the conveying of objective information.