Effective teaching about Te Tiriti/Treaty of Waitangi and the colonial history of Aotearoa/NZ to adult social work and counselling students is a challenge in many training programmes in Aotearoa/NZ. The goal of education in this area, promoted by the authors of this study, is to go beyond an intellectual fact gathering exercise to a deeper understanding about the nature of the relationship that exists today, between the peoples that represent the partners who signed the Tiriti/Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.

The authors describe the use of caucusing as a teaching method, to provide students with an opportunity to understand that their learning does not occur in a vacuum. They contend that a transfer of learning is possible since the relationships that they have within the classroom, between representatives of the signatories to te Tiriti o Waitangi, in important ways, mirror the relationships they are learning about.

In the study it is found that there are some distinct differences between maaori and pakeha students reported experience of caucusing. Explanations for these differences are provided by the literature on white dominance. Comments from students highlight the shifts in understanding about the classroom relationships as the caucusing experience proceeds. The intense reactions that occur when the hidden dynamics of power and domination are revealed is also provided with explanation from the literature.