No one was saying they shouldn’t be taught; the is due was treating them as a form of science, as generally understood today. Darwinian evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne has been following the story:
Finally, last week the RSNZ came up with its decision: the two members of the Society who signed the letter were fully exculpated. The “confidential” summary of the investigation is below, but I got permission to publish it. That’s no longer necessary since much of it is now public.
But that didn’t stop the RSNZ from pulling a slimy move to get in one last lick against its two miscreant members. The RSNZ issued two statements, the second leaving out out a single sentence from the first. Here’s the original version, but in the final version, now published online, the sentence I put in bold has been omitted: …
As I said, the controversy over the hegemony of MM [Indigenous ways of knowing taught as science] in science continues, and if I know anything about New Zealand educational politics, MM will worm its way into science class. All the new RSNZ statement does is exculpate two scientists unfairly accused of misbehavior and harm for saying that MM, while worthy of being taught, is not coequal with modern science.
The Royal Society of New Zealand has acted despicably during this whole episode, abrogating the free speech of its members. If anything undergirds science, it’s the concept of saying what you think; and criticizing an indigenous “way of knowing” as “not compatible with modern science” is certainly within the purview of acceptable speech.
Except in New Zealand.
Jerry Coyne, “New Zealand’s Royal Society exculpates two members accused of criticizing indigenous “ways of knowing” as coequal with science” at Why Evolution Is True (March 13, 2022)
As Coyne acknowledges, New Zealand is ultra-Woke.
Why does anyone think that the Woke, in general, care about science or math? If they did, they’d call off the war on science and the war on math.
You may also wish to read:
Jerry Coyne on the war on math, science, in New Zealand – and falling scores
and
Maori creationism is okay In New Zealand schools; Objectors could be booted from NZ’s Royal Society.