Ki te whaiao, ki te ao Mārama At almost all hui, participants discussed how racism is allowed to grow in the education system, starting from the moment a child enters school, and the current failings of the system in its role in anti-racism education. One participant called for “education at all levels about anti-discrimination and the diversity of humankind.” Several other participants discussed the need for educational programmes to teach children about diversity and how to challenge racism. Several participants also discussed the importance of being able to speak two or more languages. One participant commented: Some participants called for the teaching of critical-race theory. They saw this as including teaching the history of colonisation; its legacy in Aotearoa and its ongoing impact on Māori; its wider impact in the Pacific (including blackbirding and the establishment of the Realm of New Zealand); and the history of non-Pākehā migration and their contributions to the country. Many participants discussed the need to accurately teach history to help heal and learn from the past. A participant submitted that: Civic education was a common theme arising under this pillar. Many participants discussed the need for anti-racism education as a pathway to a better society, which involves education outside of formal schooling. Education is primarily focused as a pathway to employment, with a lack of focus on building understanding of each other. One participant commented: To eradicate racism we as a people must learn about the injustice of the past, the world's history so we are not ignorant of what every culture of our country New Zealand had encountered. It begins with the school history curriculum. Participants called for te reo Māori, te ao Māori and mātauranga Māori to be embraced and normalised in schools. Some participants highlighted this was necessary to shift the education system away from a western, colonial model, towards a more culturally diverse and inclusive one. One participant discussed the harms of the current education system commenting that: People who know other languages and social rules are more open and less judgmental of others. They have empathy. Which to me is the opposite of racism. So I think we should keep learning, celebrating our differences. Everyone is racist in a different way, form and shape (different level too). So I think the government should focus on teaching people how to deal with racism, minimise the emotional damage. Ethnic Tangata Tiriti participants discussed their experiences of racism in education and emphasised the necessity for teachers to be trained in anti-racist pedagogy to encourage fair and equal treatment in education. One participant highlighted the importance of: Empowering teachers on anti-racism, it starts in schools, teachers need to take an active role, need to know how to fight it, need to know how to not teach or enable racism. I was taught a whitewashed version of history at school, Te Reo was optional creating an ‘us and them’ rhetoric. We need to own that as a country, we have a rich and shameful history of colonialism and racism. Te Kāhui Tika Tangata 66