Founding the Nation

Curriculum Area & Level

Learning Area: Social Sciences
Curriculum Level: Level 8 (NCEA Level 3 / Year 13)
Strand: Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories within the Social Sciences Learning Area
Big Idea:

• The past shapes the present.
• Māori history is the foundational and continuous history of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Significant Learning:

• Understand the causes and consequences of the Declaration of Independence (He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni).
• Understand how historical relationships between Māori and Europeans influenced political developments.
• Understand the perspectives and motivations of those involved in the creation and signing of He Whakaputanga.
• Analyse the continuing significance of the Declaration in a modern context.

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Lesson Details

Lesson Duration: 80 minutes
Class Size: 6 students
Teaching Style: Collaborative, inquiry-based and place-based learning
Focus: The Declaration of Independence (He Whakaputanga) — 1835

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Learning Intentions

By the end of this session students will:

• Describe the context and motivations behind He Whakaputanga.
• Identify key figures involved in its creation and signing.
• Evaluate its significance in shaping early Māori–Pākehā relations.
• Analyse perspectives using historical sources.

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Success Criteria

Students will be able to:

• Summarise key events and reasons for the signing of He Whakaputanga.
• Participate in informed discussion using historical evidence.
• Compare Māori and European perspectives on the Declaration.
• Reflect on the long-term implications for Aotearoa's political development.

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Materials Needed

• Printed excerpts of He Whakaputanga (Māori and English versions)
• Timeline templates
• Character Identity Cards (representing different historical figures)
• Whiteboard and markers
• Sticky notes
• A3 group discussion maps

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Lesson Breakdown (80 Minutes Total)

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⏰ 0–10 Minutes | Whakawhanaungatanga & Hook

Activity: “Whose Land, Whose Voice?”
Students are given a 19th-century style map of Aotearoa and red/green flags. Red = European government control; Green = Māori sovereignty. Students place flags based on their prior knowledge.
→ Quick pair-share: What does this map tell us about power and control in 1830s Aotearoa?

🧠 Purpose: Activates prior knowledge and surfaces assumptions.

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⏰ 10–25 Minutes | Direct Teaching: Context & Creation

Mini Lecture with Visual Timeline & Storytelling Style (can be flipped for responsive dialogue):

• Context: Rising European presence, concerns about unregulated Pākehā, need for unity
• Key contributors: James Busby, 34 rangatira from the north, missionaries as influencers
• Declaration signed in 1835
• Key phrases: “Ko matou, ko nga Rangatira o te Huihuinga” – signs of mana whakahaere (authority)

💡 Highlight: This document was entirely written in te reo Māori and recognised Māori sovereignty.

🙋‍♀️ Prompt: What does it mean to declare independence within your own land?

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⏰ 25–45 Minutes | Group Activity: Voices of He Whakaputanga

Activity: “Character Round Table”
Each student receives a Character Identity Card (e.g. Hone Heke, James Busby, Rewa of Ngāpuhi, Missionary Henry Williams, Queen Victoria’s representative, a local settler).
In two small groups, students discuss:

• Why am I signing or supporting He Whakaputanga—or not?
• What do I expect to come from this document?
• What concerns do I have?

Each group then creates a mind map of motives and expectations using their characters’ perspectives.

📌 Assessment Opportunity: Observe students’ use of accurate historical reasoning and empathy.

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⏰ 45–60 Minutes | Source Analysis: The Text of the Declaration

Students are given excerpts in both English and te reo Māori (with contextual language support).
Activity: “Word by Word: Unpacking Mana”
In pairs:

• Identify key language around tino rangatiratanga, kingitanga, and governance
• Discuss: What power is being asserted? What is being protected?

🛠️ Strategy: Use a dual-column analysis chart (Māori phrase / English translation / What it means / Why it matters)

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⏰ 60–70 Minutes | Critical Thinking Discussion

Prompt Discussion Questions:

• Was the Declaration effective?
• Did the Crown recognise it in good faith?
• Why did most rangatira sign it?
• How did it set the stage for Te Tiriti o Waitangi (1840)?

Students move with sticky notes to a class continuum line from “Highly Effective” to “Ignored”.

Each student must defend their position with 1 historical fact or interpretation.

🧠 Encourage deeper questioning by asking:
“How might a Māori leader from Ngāpuhi today see this document?”

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⏰ 70–78 Minutes | Reflective Exit Ticket

Activity: “Postcard from the Past”
Students write a short postcard as if they are one of the signatory rangatira, stating:

• Why I signed the Declaration
• What I hoped to protect
• What I fear will happen next

This may be shared aloud for quick peer feedback.

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⏰ 78–80 Minutes | Wrap-up & Te Ao Hurihuri Connection

Ask:
What echoes of He Whakaputanga do you see in Aotearoa’s legal or political debates today?
Encourage students to think ahead to He Whakaputanga’s relationship with ongoing sovereignty debates, including Waitangi Tribunal claims, co-governance, and constitutional reviews.

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Differentiation & Extensions

• Scaffolded support: Provide te reo Māori vocabulary assistance and pre-highlighted text for students who need support.
• Extension: Research a Waitangi Tribunal claim that references He Whakaputanga. Write a paragraph connecting history to modern debates.

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Assessment & Evidence of Learning

Formative Assessment Opportunities:

• Observation of group interaction during the “Character Round Table”
• Analysis from the dual-language source activity
• Quality of reasoning in exit ticket

Summative Possibility (beyond this lesson):

• Students develop a short historical essay or presentation on the long-term impacts of the Declaration.

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Teacher Reflection Prompts

• Did students engage with historical empathy and multiple perspectives?
• Did the use of te reo Māori encourage deeper understanding of Māori sovereignty concepts?
• How can I connect this lesson to student-led inquiry or local iwi knowledge?

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Supporting Values

This lesson honours:

• Whanaungatanga — through collaboration and identity exploration
• Manaakitanga — by affirming diverse voices in Aotearoa’s founding narratives
• Ako — by positioning students as co-constructors of knowledge

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Let this lesson stand as both a rich historical exploration and an invitation for students to see themselves in Aotearoa New Zealand’s unfolding story.