Photo: RNZIn the lead-up to Waitangi Day, history teachers are calling for compulsory teaching of New Zealand's Māori and colonial history in schools, but government representatives are rejecting the idea. The chairperson of the History Teachers' Association, Graeme Ball, said the number of people who learned about New Zealand's history was shameful and the association had launched a petition to change that. Mr Ball said when students did learn about colonial history and the Treaty of Waitangi, their coverage was often cursory. He said some schools did not teach colonial history because there were not enough good resources and because students thought it was boring and teachers were afraid of losing enrolments from their senior history classes. Mr Ball said the History Teachers' Association had decided to push harder to make the subject compulsory and its stance was in tune with national sentiment.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 04, 2019 18:11 UTC