Vol. 17 No. 2 (2026)
Special Issue: SI_TGEO

Reorienting Aotearoa New Zealand Secondary School Geography Towards Decolonisation and Indigenisation

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Karen Finn
School of Education, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
Hana Turner-Adams
Faculty of Arts and Education, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Bio
Melinda Webber
Faculty of Arts and Education, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Bio
Three Orientations of Decolonising Geography
DOI: https://doi.org/10.48088/ejg.k.fin.17.2.S001.S015
Categories

Published 2026-01-24

Keywords

  • Decolonising geography,
  • decolonisation and indigenisation,
  • secondary education,
  • curriculum studies,
  • culturally responsive pedagogies

How to Cite

Finn, Karen, Hana Turner-Adams, and Melinda Webber. 2026. “Reorienting Aotearoa New Zealand Secondary School Geography Towards Decolonisation and Indigenisation”. European Journal of Geography 17 (2):S1-S15. https://doi.org/10.48088/ejg.k.fin.17.2.S001.S015.

Copyright (c) 2026 Karen Finn, Hana Turner-Adams, Melinda Webber

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Received 2025-09-19
Accepted 2026-01-08
Published 2026-01-24

Abstract

Secondary school geography in Aotearoa New Zealand has a Western-centric curriculum due to the British colonial influence. Despite being the knowledge system of the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) has been sidelined from geography curricula. A recent system-wide review and overhaul of the national curriculum and assessment system aimed for equal status for mātauranga Māori, respecting it and addressing its exclusion and denigration, and added aspects of decolonising geography, such as critiquing power, to the secondary school geography curriculum. This study investigated how Aotearoa New Zealand secondary school geography teachers understand decolonising and indigenising geography. Qualitative data were gathered through an online survey of 47 geography teachers and analysed using content analysis and reflexive thematic analysis. The study findings are presented as three orientations that teachers take when decolonising geography: decolonising and indigenising geography in the classroom, engaging with Indigenous people to decolonise geography and reflexivity for decolonising geography. In doing so, the research outlines practical implications for geography teachers, initial teacher education and policy.

Highlights:

  • Qualitative research involving 47 secondary school geography teachers.
  • New model of teachers’ three orientations to decolonising geography.
  • Classroom decolonisation, engagement with Indigenous peoples and reflexivity are required.

Contribution to the Special Issue Topics:

  • This empirical research article focuses on the special issue topic of decolonising geography education. It presents ways that geography teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand are decolonising and indigenising geography in the classroom, engaging with Indigenous people, reflecting and learning. This article aims to support geography teachers, teacher educators and policy makers to create more inclusive geography curricula that empower students to navigate uncertain futures in a changing world.
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