Unit #4

Lesson 4: Impact of the Taranaki War on Māori Communities

Subject: Aotearoa New Zealand Histories
Year Level: Year 13
Curriculum Area: Social Sciences – NCEA Level 3
Time: 50 minutes
Class Size: 32 students
Unit Title: Taranaki War Perspectives
Lesson Focus: To explore and critically analyse the social, cultural, and economic effects of the Taranaki War on Māori communities, particularly around displacement, mana, and long-term intergenerational impacts.

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Big Idea / Te Mātāpuna o te Mātauranga

"Past decisions and actions continue to influence Aotearoa New Zealand’s present and future."

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Learning Intentions

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Understand the immediate and long-term impacts of the Taranaki War on Māori communities.
• Analyse differing iwi perspectives and articulate the consequences of land confiscation and social disruption.
• Explore the concept of mana whenua and its disruption through colonial conflict.
• Reflect on how these impacts are remembered or suppressed in collective memory (maumaharatanga).

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Success Criteria

Students will:

• Contribute informed insights during group discussions about post-war consequences for Māori.
• Develop a personal response to a case study using evidence from various sources.
• Incorporate relevant historical terminology and perspectives in their analysis.
• Demonstrate empathy and critical thinking through a reflection task.

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Key Concepts

• Whakapapa: Interconnectedness of land and people
• Mana / Mana whenua: Authority and connection to land
• Maumaharatanga: Collective memory and remembrance
• Raupatu: Confiscation of land
• Colonial Legacy: Ongoing impact of colonisation on Māori communities

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Resources

• Printed primary source excerpts: letters from Māori rangatira (chiefs), newspaper clippings from the 1860s
• Map of confiscated land in Taranaki (pre- and post-war)
• Audio recording excerpt from kaumātua (local elder) oral history
• Printed quote cards for impact-mapping activity
• Sticky notes, butchers’ paper, pens

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Lesson Sequence (50 minutes)

1. Karakia and Whanaungatanga (5 mins)

Begin with a short karakia to centre the class. Brief whakawhanaungatanga check-in: “What’s one word you associate with ‘land’?” (Quick go-around or popcorn-style sharing.)

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2. Engage: Setting the Scene (5 mins)

Use a projected image of Māori families leaving their whenua post-conflict. Ask:

• What emotions do you notice?
• What might these people be losing beyond physical land?
  Frame the lesson as exploring not just facts, but lived consequences.

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3. Explore: Impact Mapping Activity (15 mins)

Group Work (4 students per group, 8 groups total)
Each group receives:

• A set of “impact cards” – quotes and facts about loss of land, language suppression, relocation, confiscation acts, and cultural erosion
• A large Taranaki map divided into rohe** (regions)
  Task:
• Place each card on the map according to where the impact occurred
• Use string or marker lines to show ripple effects across generations
  Extension: Include space for personal reflection notes or questions.

Differentiation: Provide simplified summaries for emerging readers and allow fluent students to expand or interpret more complex quotes.

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4. Explain: Kaumātua Accounts (10 mins)

Play a 2-minute audio excerpt from a Ngāti Maru elder describing the aftermath of raupatu. As a class, discuss:

• What is being remembered?
• Why might others have forgotten this history?
• How does hearing the story change our understanding compared to written sources?

Pose the concept of maumaharatanga — remembering as resistance.

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5. Elaborate: Personal Response Task (10 mins)

Individual Reflection Task
Students write a short paragraph on:

• In what ways did the Taranaki War shift the identity and future path of local Māori iwi?
• Can the scars of war still be seen today? Why or why not?

Stretch Challenge: Invite students to position their paragraph as a whakaaro (opinion piece) that could appear in a modern opinion column or online public forum.

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6. Share and Acknowledge Diverse Narratives (3 mins)

Choose 2–3 brave volunteers to share snippets of their responses. Discuss the importance of voice—Nā wai te kōrero? Who tells the story? And what is their intention?

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7. Reflect and Connect (2 mins)

Quickfire exit slip: each student writes one word or phrase they previously didn’t associate with New Zealand history but do now.

Collect these on the way out to form a pop-up word wall.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Group participation in mapping activity (informal formative)
• Individual written reflection (collected, formative feedback piece)
• Quality of discussion points and evidence use, teacher observational notes

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Teacher Reflection (Post-Lesson)

• Were students able to engage meaningfully with the emotional impacts as well as the factual content?
• Did the use of oral history deepen or challenge students’ understanding of colonisation’s legacy?
• How might their responses inform our approach to the final lesson in the unit?

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Looking Ahead: Lesson 5 Preview

Title: Remembering vs Forgetting
Students will continue exploring maumaharatanga by evaluating how the Taranaki War is remembered (or absent) in national memorials, education, and media. They will design a commemorative artefact or media response.

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This lesson aligns with the purpose of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories curriculum: to foster critical thought, deepen awareness of historical injustices, and support identity and belonging through understanding multiple perspectives.