Paul Beumelburg

Citation

Thesis Title
Apiianga no te oraanga akapuapinga e te taporoporo i te ipukarea: Education as Sustainable Development: Mangaia, Cook Islands.

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Sustainable Development (SD) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) play increasingly important roles in global development. Problematically, these western constructs have ignored the pivotal role culture plays in sustainable development. Employing participatory research methods, Mr Beumelburg co-constructed culturally responsive and contextually relevant SD and ESD frameworks on Mangaia, in the Cook Islands. The frameworks illustrated Mangaian SD, consisted of an indigenous development centred on oraanga Mangaia (life on Mangaia) and alternative modernities, embedded in culture. His research revealed that culturally responsive place-based ESD programmes are vital in equipping students with the knowledge and skills to enable them to lead their own communities' SD, in hopeful post-development settings. Additionally, he found this style of learning would empower students and expose them to desirable place-based livelihoods, while strengthening their language, culture and identity and improving their academic outcomes.

Supervisors
Associate Professor Rochelle Stewart-Withers
Professor Huia Jahnke
Professor Regina Scheyvens