Course syllabus

POLITICS 229: Mana Māori Motuhake: Māori Politics and Public Policy 

SEMESTER 2, 2019 15 points


This photograph of four long-serving Māori MPs was probably taken in the early 1970s. From left they are Koro Wētere (Western Māori 1969–96), Matiu Rata (Northern Māori 1963–80), Whetū Tirikātene-Sullivan (Southern Māori 1967–96) and Paraone Reweti (Eastern Māori 1967–81).

Lecturer: Lara Greaves - lara.greaves@auckland.ac.nz 201N (HSB/SSB) Room 5.39. My office hour is at 10am on Friday, but I am also happy to chat after the lecture on Mondays. Alternatively, please email me to make a time to meet. 

Graduate Teaching Assistant: Daniel Badenhorst - dbad658@aucklanduni.ac.nz Office Hour on Wednesday 3-4pm in 201N (HSB/SSB) Room 5.28. 

Course delivery format: Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online

A 2 hour lecture on Monday 2pm (17 Eden Crescent, Room 210).

A 1 hour tutorial - either 2pm Wednesday (Human Sciences - East, Room 902) or 5pm Wednesday (Commerce A, Room G15).

Summary of Course Description:         

An introduction to Māori politics. Topics include the Treaty of Waitangi, the politicisation of identity, sovereignty and self-determination, representation, globalisation and the Māori economy, Māori development and Māori media. Some contemporary and comparative indigenous policy issues will be discussed.

Course outcomes:

This course will give you an appreciation of:

• The ways in which Māori identity is complicated and political;

• The diverse ways that Te Tiriti/The Treaty has been portrayed and has influenced our politics;

• How Māori have interacted with the Crown;

• The ways in which Māori have fought for and enacted political change;

• Where different Indigenous peoples are similar or different to Māori in their politics;

• What Kaupapa/Tikanga Māori politics could look like in the future.

The specific skills you will gain:

• Greater confidence in critically analysing the readings through writing reading summaries and participating in tutorials;

• Oral presentation skills through the debate assignment;

• Group work/cooperation skills through working with a team in the debate assignment;

• Practice in writing about comparative politics through the Indigenous comparative component of the written assignment;

• The opportunity to further develop your academic writing (in the written assignment).

Assessment Summary:

10% Reading Summaries 
The criteria for these marks is posted under modules. In short, this involves writing a critical summary of a reading (in 200 words) and handing it in at the tutorial for the week. 

30% Written Assignment (2,000 words) 27TH SEPTEMBER 4PM PAPER & ONLINE COPIES NEEDED
This assignment revolves around your choice of a Māori political movement (broadly defined), discussions of how it was successful (and not), and has a comparative Indigenous politics element. 

20% Debate assignment WEEKS 10 & 11
This is a group assignment (3-4 people on each team). You will have a chance to choose a topic/group in Week 5/6, debates will take place in Weeks 10 and 11 (weeks beginning 7th and 14th October) in both lectures and tutorials. 

40% 2 hour exam
Short answer questions and an essay.

Weekly Topics:

Note that this is provisional, depends on guest speaker availability and that some lecture content may overlap between weeks (this is the first time I have taught this course).

Recommended Texts: There is no textbook for this course. I have provided a detailed reading list with weekly set readings and commentary (see Reading Lists tab).

Please see the Politics and International Relations Coursework Guide for more information on assignments.

Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time.

In certain circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension will be penalised by loss of marks. Please email me (Lara) before the assignment due date/time and we can try to work out a suitable extension.

Late Policy (UPDATED): Assignments submitted up to two days late will lose 5 marks.

Assignments submitted three to five days late will lose 10 marks.

Assignments submitted six to ten days late will lose 25 marks.

Assignments submitted more than ten days past the due submission date will not be accepted but contact your lecturer if you wish to be considered for an exception.