Upholding Mana

How do we lift the mana of ourselves and all cultures in our practice? Are we actively welcoming, valuing, and enthusiastically supportive of Māori and other cultures in our workplaces? Young people tell us that the relationships and the way in which educational professionals engage can make a difference to their learning at school. Their voices, voices from the past and young voices to come, continue to urge for an education system that acknowledges, celebrates, and lifts up the uniqueness of who they are. A diverse, culturally equipped educational psychology workforce that is knowledgeable and willing to challenge the inequities in our education and health systems is needed. Using a composite, fictional case study we aim to explore explicit and implicit structural racism in practice. We then reflect on some of the current practices and the next steps towards decolonising our institutions within education and psychology.