ABSTRACT
Recent years have witnessed a global shift in awareness of indigenous values and practices. This includes the international rights of indigenous peoples to have their narratives and values regarded as valid epistemology and not romanticised as exotic or dismissed as mythical. The decline of modernism in the West has further contributed to the resurgence of ethnic rights including a greater awareness of indigenous worldviews. ‘Taha wairua’, for instance, is Maori for the spiritual side of humanity. In the New Zealand school curriculum fostering this spiritual side is considered part of the development of well-being for all students. Just what that means, however, is seldom made explicit.
