Tangata Whenua and NZ

Curriculum Area: Social Sciences

Curriculum Level: Level 4

Year Level: Year 8

This unit plan focuses on Social Sciences achievement objectives under the New Zealand Curriculum and supports students in exploring key concepts of tangata whenua, migration, and decision-making by formal and informal groups. This is a 10-week unit with three lessons per week, each lasting 50 minutes, incorporating multi-modal activities designed to engage and challenge students.

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Unit 1: Origins and Migration (Lessons 1–9)

Lesson 1: Introduction to Tangata Whenua

Achievement Objectives:

• Understand and define what tangata whenua means.
• Explain the importance of Māori communities in New Zealand.

Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to define tangata whenua with confidence.
• Students will appreciate why the status of Māori as tangata whenua matters to cultural identity and historical context.

Lesson Breakdown (50 minutes):

1. Energiser – Kupu Māori Matching Game (5 minutes):

   • Provide students with cards showing te reo Māori kupu (words) and their English translations (e.g., tangata whenua = people of the land).
   • Students work in pairs to match the correct pairs.

2. Introduction (5 minutes):

   • Briefly introduce the term "tangata whenua" and its importance to Māori as the indigenous people of New Zealand.

3. Activity: Kōrero Circle (30 minutes):

   • Divide students into groups of six. Each group receives a scenario card that explains situations where Māori status as tangata whenua influences decisions in New Zealand (e.g., Waitangi Tribunal, marae restoration, or resource management).
   • Groups discuss the scenario and present their thoughts to the class in a two-minute summary.

4. Reflection (10 minutes):

   • Students write a short journal entry in their workbooks about what they have learned, focusing on the cultural significance of Māori as tangata whenua.

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Lesson 2: Polynesian Migration

Achievement Objectives:

• Explain and describe how early Polynesian settlers came to New Zealand.
• Understand the impact of early Polynesian settlers on Aotearoa.

Learning Outcomes:

• Students will describe the methods and tools used by Polynesians to navigate to New Zealand.
• Students will explain the economic and societal impacts of early Māori settlements.

Lesson Breakdown (50 minutes):

1. Energiser – Waka Race Simulation (5 minutes):

   • In pairs, one student serves as the navigator while the other closes their eyes, following verbal directions to guide a “waka” (paper folded boat) across a table.

2. Introduction (10 minutes):

   • Discuss Polynesian migration to New Zealand around 800–1300 CE. Highlight navigation by stars, currents, and winds as critical tools. Use a map to show the likely waka routes.

3. Activity: Map Creation (25 minutes):

   • Students work in small groups to create a visual timeline and map of Polynesian migration patterns.
   • Each map includes symbols for key events (e.g., arrival in Aotearoa, early settlements).

4. Reflection and Exit Card (10 minutes):

   • Students write down one thing they learned and one question they still have about Polynesian migration.

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Lesson 3: British Migration

Achievement Objectives:

• Explain and describe how early British migration started.
• Understand the impact of British migration.

Learning Outcomes:

• Students will explain why British settlers migrated to New Zealand.
• Students will describe early interactions between British settlers and tangata whenua.

Lesson Breakdown (50 minutes):

1. Energiser – Gallery Walk (5 minutes):

   • Place images of British ships, settlers, and Māori trading on the classroom walls. Students rotate around the images, jotting down initial thoughts.

2. Introduction (10 minutes):

   • Discuss the key push-and-pull factors of British migration to New Zealand in the 19th century (e.g., land opportunities, Treaty of Waitangi, British colonial policies).

3. Activity: Role-Playing Debate (30 minutes):

   • Divide students into groups. Assign each group a role: British settlers, tangata whenua, or government officials.
   • Groups research their assigned perspective and engage in a mock debate about the allocation of land in the 1850s.

4. Wrap-Up (5 minutes):

   • Ask each student to share one insight about the complexities of early British migration to Aotearoa.

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Unit 2: Decision-Making and Historic Documents (Lessons 10–18)

Lessons 10–18 will continue to delve into decision-making processes of formal and informal groups, focusing on the Treaty of Waitangi as a central document. Energiser activities will engage students in group work, such as team challenges to connect decisions to their societal impacts and identifying ownership of resources.

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Unit 3: Modern Impacts (Lessons 19–30)

The final unit will explore how past actions (e.g., British colonisation, Treaty breaches) affect tangata whenua today. Activities like a case study of a Māori community and their current initiatives will allow students to actively engage in discussions about cultural resilience, the ongoing influence of formal decisions, and the integration of te ao Māori into New Zealand society.

These dynamic, context-driven lessons aim to not only educate but inspire critical thinking and respectful dialogue among students.