Atoro’ia te peu ‘ā to ‘ui tūpuna: A Culturally Responsive Pedagogy for Pasifika Peoples

The core values of the Cook Islands offer a cultural lens through which to improve the wellbeing of Cook Islands students, and Pasifika students more generally. The application of a cultural values-based pedagogy is important if we are to mobilise the positive characteristics of contemporary ‘health and physical education’. This chapter discusses a study that examined pa metua (elders’) knowledge of Cook Islands core values and how they considered this important for inclusion in teaching culturally responsive pedagogy. We then explore the potential of Cook Islands core values to positively affect the wellbeing of Cook Islands students. The chapter concludes with a description of the core values recommended by the pa metua and reflects on how they can be applied to existing students’ schooling and a physical education curriculum in a culturally responsive manner. We thus conclude with future directions on how to promote the wellbeing of the Pasifika community in higher education.