The intertwining of western and indigenous worldviews in education – An Aotearoa New Zealand case study in marketing education

Abstract

This study explores the integration of Te Ao Māori (the Māori worldview) and kaupapa Māori (Māori ideology) in education practice, using the case of the marketing discipline. The marketing academy acknowledges that a greater integration of Indigenous knowledge and worldviews is needed (Love & Hall, 2022). Specifically, Love and Hall (2022) call for cultural control, non-appropriation and participatory approaches. The well-known work of Smith (1999) in Decolonizing Methodologies provides guidance around conducting kaupapa Māori research, and Indigenous frameworks that acknowledge the value of drawing together two different knowledge streams, such as, He Ara Whiria Braided Rivers (Macfarlane, Macfarlane, & Gillon, 2015) and Two Eyed Seeing (Marshall & Bartlett, 2004), offer useful starting points. But practically implementing this in a way that is respectful of both (and indeed, all) worldviews, and puts the students first, remains a challenging endeavour for Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators alike. The authors’ empirical investigation on marketing practitioner’s perspectives on the use of Māori cultural elements highlighted a gap in existing education offerings, which saw the development of a bi-cultural marketing course at Lincoln University. However, scaling this in a way that is respectful and student-centric remains a challenging endeavour. This study seeks to draw out practical insights for those wishing to bring together differing, but complementary, knowledge streams in marketing education and beyond