Lessons of the past Letters Bad experience

Thanks for publishing a thoughtful analysis of the NZ history curriculum by

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Jack Vowles (Teaching what to think, not how to think, June 7) and the equally provocative report by John Anthony (NZ’s changing place in the world,

June 11).

Vowles asked the designers of the curriculum to think about the historical development of NZ as a ‘‘multicultural democracy’’, while Anthony pointed out that a third of us were born ‘‘overseas’’. It’s important that the NZ history curriculum incorporate democracy and migration as major themes to understand our past and our present.

Since this nation began in 1840, when Te Tiriti was signed, the history curriculum could trace the evolution of ideas about human rights beginning with Ma¯ ori arrival in Aotearoa and the Magna Carta, which is part of NZ’s legal heritage. Parallel histories of te tino rangatiratanga and British ideas of ‘‘just rights’’ and governance could begin in the 1200s.

Learning about the arrival of Scots, Chinese, French, Americans, and other peoples before and after 1840 would teach students to value our multiple heritages and taonga from both tangata whenua and tangata tiriti. Learning about how we have dealt with differences in the past will help our children prepare for a democratic future.

Dolores Janiewski, Highbury ‘‘Thank you for your contribution. We look forward to engaging with you further . . .’’ This in response to a letter of concern to Experience Wellington. I would like to say this is patronising, but this gendered term is perhaps no longer apt.

I have the same confidence in Experience Wellington running the City Gallery that I would have in Disneyland running the Guggenheim.

Tim Bowman, Masterton