Inspiring Changemakers

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Overview

Curriculum Area: Social Sciences
Curriculum Level: Level 4 (typically Year 8)
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Number of Students: 20

Big Idea:
People, movements and events have historically shaped, and continue to shape, societies on both local and global scales.

Curriculum Strand:
Understanding the past and present to shape the future – How individuals and groups make decisions and take social action in response to community issues, both past and present.

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Learning Intentions

Students will:

• Identify individuals and events from New Zealand that have had a significant global impact
• Understand how these people and events helped shape social behaviours, rights, or innovation around the world
• Work collaboratively to investigate and share these impacts
• Reflect on how ideas from Aotearoa New Zealand can influence the world

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Success Criteria

Students can:

• Name at least three New Zealanders and three events that changed global society
• Describe how each influenced the wider world, beyond just New Zealand
• Participate in group discussion and contribute their ideas
• Reflect on who inspired them most and why

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Key Competencies

• Thinking – critically reflect on influence and change
• Participating and Contributing – engaging in group brainstorm and discussions
• Relating to Others – developing empathy for others' perspectives in history
• Using Language, Symbols, and Texts – interpreting brief bios and summarising change

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Materials Needed

• Printed brief bios of 8 key people (see below)
• Printed summaries of 5 events (see below)
• Whiteboard and markers
• A3 paper and markers per group
• Timer
• Exit slips

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Key People (Changemakers from Aotearoa New Zealand)

1. Kate Sheppard – Leader of the women's suffrage movement; helped make NZ the first country to give women the vote
2. Sir Āpirana Ngata – Advocate for Māori culture, language, and land rights; major contributor to Māori renaissance
3. Dame Whina Cooper – Led the 1975 Māori Land March, a catalyst movement for Indigenous rights
4. Ernest Rutherford – Discovered the structure of the atom; globally credited as the ‘father of nuclear physics’
5. Sir Edmund Hillary – One of the first two people to summit Mt Everest; known globally as an explorer and humanitarian
6. Taika Waititi – Internationally successful film director, actor, and advocate for Indigenous voices in global media
7. Rachel House – Actor and voice for representation of Māori stories in global cinema
8. Valerie Adams – Champion shot putter and role model; advocate for Pasifika sport and wellbeing globally

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Key Events with Global Impact

1. 1893 Women’s Suffrage in NZ – New Zealand becomes the first self-governing country to grant women the right to vote
2. 1981 Springbok Tour Protests – International spotlight on NZ's strong anti-apartheid stance
3. Treaty of Waitangi signed, 1840 – Foundation document for NZ biculturalism; sparked international discussions on treaty rights
4. Christchurch Earthquakes 2010–11 – Led to new global strategies in urban resilience and mental health response
5. Christchurch Mosque Attacks, 2019 – Refocused the global conversation on racism, unity, and compassion

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Lesson Structure

🔵 Warm-Up (5 minutes)

Activity:
“Guess the Changemaker”

• Teacher reads a short clue or quote from one of the key individuals
• Students call out (or write down) who they think it is
• Encourages curiosity and engagement

🟢 Main Activity (25 minutes)

Group Rotation Stations (5 groups of 4 students)

Station A: People Carousel (2 groups rotate)

• Each student reads a 3–4 sentence bio of one of the people listed above
• Groups discuss: What change did this person create? Why did it matter—here and beyond?
• Each group writes a “social impact headline” for 1–2 Changemakers

Station B: Event Explorers (2 groups rotate)

• Review summaries of two major NZ events
• Discuss: What local issue or idea became a global conversation because of this event?
• Create a “global ripple” timeline showing local-to-global influence

Station C: Wall of Impact (1 group)

• This group reviews all “headlines” and timelines created by the others
• They place them on a wall map—linking the NZ example to global locations

Rotation every 8 minutes x 3 rotations (24 minutes)

🟡 Reflection & Discussion (10 minutes)

• Each student silently writes: “Who inspired you most today, and why?”
• Volunteers share short answers
• Discuss common themes: resilience, innovation, courage, identity

🔴 Exit Ticket (5 minutes)

Each student completes:

• One new person or event I learned about: ______________
• One way they made the world better: _________________
• One question I still have: ___________________________

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Extension & Localisation Ideas

• Invite a local kaumātua or community member to speak about a lesser-known changemaker in the local rohe
• Have students research a New Zealander not mentioned in this lesson and create a “Changemaker Profile”
• Link to the Aotearoa New Zealand Histories content by discussing how both national and iwi histories influence action today

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative: Exit slips, group participation, contribution to wall map
• Informal observation: Engagement and thinking during rotations
• Self-assessment: Written reflection and question

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Teacher Notes

• Use the refreshed NCEA emphasis on Significant Learning (linked to Big Ideas) to allow students to contextualise their place in shaping the future
• Scaffold discussion by connecting students’ personal experiences with fairness, voice, and identity
• Promote use of Māori terms and perspectives where appropriate (e.g., mana wāhine, tino rangatiratanga)

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Final Word

By learning about Kiwis who shaped the world from right here in Aotearoa, students will begin to see themselves as future changemakers — rooted in local identity, with eyes on a global future.