Practice Context/What does cultural competence mean?/Cultural competence for teachers

Biculturalism for teachers
"Biculturalism is about the relationship between the state's founding cultures, where there is more than one. Multiculturalism is about the acceptance of cultural difference generally."(Durie, 2005, p 1)

In New Zealand there is an expectation that educators will honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi by integrating its principles into their teaching practice, therefore it is important to recognise the bicultural relationship within a country that also embraces other ethic cultures and groups with many and varied cultural identities.

New Zealand tertiary education is guided by the Tertiary Education Strategy. This strategy describes the Government's strategic direction for tertiary education and outlines the Government's priorities. An important part of the bicultural vision for tertiary education is to enable Māori to achieve success as Māori.