Learning Through Experience: Why the Hīkoi Is a Lesson in Democracy

Why our Students Should Be Attending Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti Despite What the Minister Says

Pourewa Te Rata says he is at the hikoi with his mates, cousins and whānau. Photo: RNZ/Layla Bailey-McDowell

Education Minister Erica Stanford’s disappointment that students are participating in the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti instead of being in school is a missed opportunity to recognise the real purpose of education in a flourishing democracy. While classrooms play a vital role in nurturing knowledge, they are not the only spaces where learning happens. The hikoi is not a distraction from education—it is an extension of it, providing a powerful opportunity for students to engage directly with citizenship, critical thinking, and democratic participation.

Democracy Is Lived, Not Just Learned

Stanford’s assertion that “children need to be in class every opportunity they have so we can raise achievement rates” overlooks the broader purpose of education. Academic achievement, while important, is not the sole marker of a successful education system. Education must also prepare young people to actively participate in society as informed, engaged citizens. As Sir Ken Robinson, an internationally renowned education expert, emphasised, the future of education must cultivate the six Cs: creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, compassion, and citizenship.

The Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti embodies these principles. By participating in this movement, students are exercising their citizenship, engaging in communication and collaboration, and developing compassion for issues that affect their communities. They are actively practicing critical thinking by considering the implications of the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill. These experiences cannot be replicated in a classroom reading exercise or a numeracy task.

Active Citizenship and the Future of Democracy

Citizenship in Aotearoa New Zealand requires more than understanding voting mechanics or parliamentary processes. It demands an understanding of the cultural, historical, and political context of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the ability to engage with the issues that affect Māori and non-Māori alike.

In her comments, Stanford suggested that “education-outside-the-classroom” activities must include a literacy and numeracy component. This view narrows the purpose of education and undervalues the broader competencies that enable young people to engage in a complex, diverse society. Literacy in democracy requires understanding voices beyond one’s own experience. Numeracy in citizenship includes counting the collective impact of actions like the hikoi.

Learning in Action

Tapeta Wehi, a participant in the hikoi, summed it up perfectly: “This is their school.” For rangatahi, this experience provides a direct encounter with the civic process, connecting abstract principles of democracy with real-life practice. Dot Bax, who travelled with her nine-year-old son from Whangārei, reinforced this sentiment: “It’s about our tamariki, our language, our culture.” These are not just protests—they are powerful, embodied lessons about identity, values, and community.

It is through experiences like this that students learn to ask questions, analyse perspectives, and take informed action. This is critical thinking in action, not in theory. It is a form of education that fosters empathy, resilience, and a sense of collective responsibility—essential attributes for a thriving democracy.

A Challenge to Broaden the Definition of Education

Minister Stanford’s comments reveal a need for greater understanding of what it takes to prepare young people for a flourishing democracy. Citizenship is not developed solely within the walls of a classroom; it is cultivated in the community, through dialogue, and by engaging in the messy, beautiful process of democracy.

Sir Ken Robinson’s six Cs remind us that education must prepare students for life, not just for tests. To achieve this, we must embrace opportunities for experiential learning, like the Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti. Such experiences challenge students to think critically about the principles they value, communicate effectively, and collaborate with others to create change.

Stanford’s call to prioritise “achievement rates” risks reducing education to a numbers game. Instead, we should ask how we are equipping our young people to live, work, and lead in a way that honours Aotearoa New Zealand’s bicultural foundations.

Walking Together Toward a Better Future

The Hīkoi mō Te Tiriti is not an interruption to education but a necessary and transformative complement to it. It teaches young people that they have a voice, a stake in society, and the power to shape their future. Far from diminishing their education, participation in the hikoi enriches it, offering lessons in democracy that cannot be replicated by sitting at a desk.

Rather than discouraging this participation, we should embrace it as a living example of education’s ultimate purpose: to prepare students for a life of engagement, empathy, and active citizenship. Minister Stanford, instead of expressing disappointment, I urge you to celebrate the fact that these students are learning exactly what it means to build a healthy, inclusive democracy.