Nau mai haere mai

Kia ora (hello)!

Nau mai haere mai (welcome) to Sustainability and Biculturalism from Otago Polytechnic in collaboration with Te Pūkenga, New Zealand’s National Institute of Skills and Technology.

Through this course we aim to introduce you to sustainability through a bicultural lens, including the ways in which an indigenous iwi Māori perspective can be translated into meaningful action. We will focus on a New Zealand bicultural context as the main example, inviting you to add your own thoughts and context as we go.

You will notice as you progress that we often use (and explain) some terms and words that may be unfamiliar to you. These terms are Te Reo Māori (the Māori language), and reflect Otago Polytechnic’s commitment to a bicultural approach to learning. Te Reo Māori is one of New Zealand’s three official languages, alongside English and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). If you are interested in learning more or exploring this language you can access the Māori dictionary, a powerful free resource.

Meet the team

Mairead Fountain is a learning and teaching specialist, she is currently a Senior Lecturer in the Graduate Diploma in Tertiary Education and the Postgraduate Certificate in Instructional Design.	Dr. Daniel Fridberg is a learning and teaching specialist. He is currently a Principal Lecturer and Head of the Graduate Diploma of Conflict Resolution at Otago Polytechnic.
Tēnā koutou. He uri tēnei o te iwi Tiriti. Ko Ōtautahi te tūrangawaewae. I tipu ake au ki Hakatere ki Ōtautahi. Kei te noho au ki Ōtepoti. Ko Mairead tōku ingoa. Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa.	Tēnā koutou katoa, Ko Galilee te maunga. Ko Jordan te awa. Ko Judah te iwi. Kei te noho au ki Ōtepoti. Ko Danny ahau.

What will we be learning?

By the end of this course you should be able to:

• Reflect critically on the influence of people, place, and identity in the development of a cultural construct within the context of sustainability and biculturalism.
• Explore the interconnectedness of social, political, cultural, and economic aspects of sustainability.
• Evaluate a sustainability problem in a bicultural context.

Meeting each other

Have your say and post a comment – introduce yourself, where you are from and why you’re taking this course/what you hope to gain over the coming 4 weeks.