From resistance to responsibility: Te Tiriti o Waitangi professional development in higher education
Abstract
This opinion piece examines how professional development initiatives in higher education can facilitate transformation grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Drawing on experiences at Massey University, we explore how resistance, relationality, and contextual approaches can advance meaningful engagement with Te Tiriti o Waitangi beyond compliance frameworks. We argue that resistance offers productive entry points for deeper dialogue when met with pedagogical approaches centred in manaakitanga and whakawhanaungatanga. Tuakana-teina relationships provide essential relational structures that honour both experienced voices and emerging perspectives, creating communities of practice where treaty literacy evolves through reciprocal exchange. Context-specific approaches that connect treaty principles to disciplinary practices and institutional systems foster sustainable transformation across research, teaching, and leadership domains. This work moves beyond simplified interpretations toward an understanding that centres both the provisions and principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, acknowledging its political, cultural, and legal significance. These insights contribute to global conversations about decolonising education, supporting Indigenous rights, and reimagining higher education as sites of relational justice where collective responsibility replaces symbolic gestures and compliance checklists.
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