Niva So'o (left) and Ojhan Aukuso. Photo: RNZ / Mani Dunlop This week a Listener letter to the editor by 7 professors - denying Mātauranga Māori as science - sparked wide debate about the value of Māori knowledge in the education curriculum. The Royal Society and the University of Auckland made statements that distanced themselves from the letter - saying that they utterly reject the sentiment that Mātauranga Māori does not compare to science. The letter prompted Year 11 Wellington East Girls' College students, who take Māori and Pasifika Science, to write a response saying they disagree with the contents of the letter.