New Zealand's school-taught colonial history is racist and needs changing, say teachers

We can teach history but it needs to be accurate to both cultures and not the revised Maori only world view. Like cannabilism and slavery need to be included. The excesses of colonialism also need to be taught.

Wouldnt be so bad but teach the honest history warts and all on both sides of the coin.

I support schools covering Maori history and culture as long as its not taught through rose-tinted glasses.

The caucasian kids are being taught that they are a member of the oppressors and should be ashamed and guilty of the Leftist version of there history. Thats the real elephant in the room. Its happening world wide, its probably the most evident in the US and Canada.

Everyone needs to grow up and stop being so pathetic about everything.Yes. Some horrible things have happened in our history, on both sides, but this tit for tat but europeans did this...well maori did this nonsense is childish and only serves to boost peoples own sense of self righteousness.The focus should be on teaching our kids the truth. And by that i dont mean what fits your narrative best.

I am not a history teacher. I teach another subject. At our school the history teachers set the NZ wars as a topic but the year 13 students protested strongly. None of them wanted to do it. The teachers had to give the students more choices in the end. Most of the students chose to do European history. So its not always the teachers who choose not to do it.

What is the real history...we do not know...in fairness it must be balanced against what we wish to see and what was...A case in point the only view point we had of Richard lll was a Shakesperian play written over 50 years after his death ...it was written to please the Tudors not to be accurate...he was not a crippled hunchback with a withered arm as was discovered by the finding of his remains under a carpark and far from being hideous the reconstructed face was strong and handsome....so when we teach history it must be balanced against known facts and wishful thinking..yes Parihaka must be told but so must the murders by Maori against Maori and Europeans it is after all part of this nations story

Have to agree with our history being taught in schools as long as it includes the musket wars and is completely honest not a laundered version

school is state sanctioned social programming.

Agree with most comments below, but how about pre Maori history? Enough written and spoken about the Celts/Tall Red Headed people here when Maori arrived for proper open investigation. Remember, none of this would affect the treaty.

I think its become such a sensitive topic that its a no win situation. A balanced curriculum is too hard to achieve as someone is always going to take umbrage at one point of view or the other. We cant please all the people all the time. We have to remember that most of history is the documenting of unpleasant situations

Yes I would like to know all the history warts and all but all govt avoid it like the plague wonder why.

Absolutely vital that our colonial era history is taught. There are plenty of atrocities, mean spirited actions and racism enough to go around contributed by those that came later and those that were already here.

Its not about pleasing anyone its history it needs to be factual and complete.

Time to move on folks. We should be worried about the here and now. The current regime wants to teach an anti colonial version, so what, just ignore and teach your family the real truth.

Its pc gone mad,, like a lot of things taught and not taught in schools. It is about time this country grew up and told the truth about what really happened in the early days and not a pc correct version.

It should!

Racist, no! Selective, yes! Before I came to Christchurch as a child, we heard of Maori wars and whys, but when I got to a new school in Christchurch aged 10, not a peep about it. Were they trying to protect young kids from the shocking historic stuff that went on in colonial New Zealand or were they trying to re-write history to support the English view of the time? Or, was it just too hard to deal with at a state school level! As a matter of interest, there was nothing in my high school years either. Not sure Id say racist though.

As an historian I can tell you that not one single shred of credible evidence exists that gives the Celtic myth any credit. If we teach that we may as well teach them about unicorns and leprechauns.

I dont think it matters, as has been said, history is written by the winners and this is going to continue to happen until there is no one left to write it.