Leading change in education
In Japan, when something precious breaks, they repair it using glue with powdered gold mixed in. That way, when the object is put back together it honours the piece it was before, and makes something more beautiful of the new item. It’s known as kintsugi –
golden repair.
This is how it is with Christchurch, but the gold in our repairs is an increasing acknowledgement of Māori culture and tikanga. As the city regenerates post-quake, organisations and businesses, government agencies and policy makers, architects and landscape designers are all taking the opportunity to layer in Māori history, language, and practices that have been largely ignored in 150-odd years of colonisation. It is giving a voice to Māori, and acknowledging and embedding Ngāi Tahu as mana whenua.