Manaaki Kai

Overview

Students explore the concept of manaaki in hospitality, focusing on the Māori values of thoughtfulness, generosity, and care. They connect these values to real hospitality practices and begin shaping a shared “manaaki standard” for their unit.

Learning intentions

• WALT (We are learning to) explain what manaaki means and why it matters in hospitality.
• WALT to identify hospitality values and translate them into observable actions.
• WALT to discuss how people in organisations use values to guide decisions and improve customer experience.

Success criteria

• I can describe manaaki and link it to thoughtfulness, generosity, and care.
• I can list hospitality actions that show manaaki in common service situations.
• I can justify which values best fit a scenario and explain the impact on guests and staff.
• I can contribute to a class “manaaki standard” with clear, respectful language.

Curriculum links

• NZ Curriculum Refresh: learning about relationships, belonging, and cultural knowledge through authentic community contexts.
• NCEA-aligned learning focus: planning and evaluating how business/service decisions affect customer experience and organisational culture.
• Social Sciences/Business-ready capabilities: communication, critical thinking, and managing information (interpreting sources and making reasoned choices).

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 5 minutes – Hook & tikanga check-in Prompt students: “Think of a time you felt genuinely welcomed. What happened?” Record 3–5 responses on the board. Briefly remind students about respectful discussion and use of te reo Māori.

2. 10 minutes – Teach: What manaaki means Teacher explains manaaki as caring for others through actions, not just intentions. Focus on three values: thoughtfulness, generosity, care. Show short, teacher-led examples from hospitality (greeting, listening, food choices/allergies, follow-up). Students take brief notes under headings: Meaning, Values, Actions.

3. 12 minutes – Source-into-actions activity (pairs) Give each pair one hospitality scenario card (e.g., new customer unsure what to order, a family with an allergy concern, a late booking, a customer needs assistance). Students decide:

• Which manaaki value(s) are most important?
• What observable actions should staff take?
• How will this improve the guest experience? Pairs write responses on a single mini-template.

4. 8 minutes – Class manaaki standard build As a whole class, groups share their best actions. Teacher synthesises into a “Manaaki Standard for Hospitality” with 6–8 bullet points (e.g., greet promptly, ask clarifying questions, respond with options, show empathy, thank guests, check understanding, protect privacy). Students add one sentence for each bullet: “This shows manaaki because…”

5. 7 minutes – Quick assessment: exit ticket Students answer the exit ticket independently:

• Define manaaki in 2–3 sentences.
• Choose one value (thoughtfulness, generosity, or care) and give one specific hospitality action that demonstrates it.
• Explain one effect on guests or the business.

6. 3 minutes – Close & unit pathway Teacher previews next lessons (planning practices, roles in hospitality teams, and evaluating service). Students reflect: “What is one behaviour I can start using today to show manaaki?”

Resources

• Scenario cards (6–8 options), printed or displayed
• Mini-template worksheet for pairs: Value(s) → Actions → Impact
• Board/slide with class “Manaaki Standard” headings
• Exit ticket slips (or a single-page digital form)
• Short teacher script for manaaki overview (plain language)
• Markers for grouping/synthesising student ideas
• Optional: sample hospitality phrases (e.g., “Would you like recommendations?” “Let’s check that allergy.” “Thanks for letting us know.”)

Assessment

• Formative: teacher observes pair discussions and checks accuracy of manaaki/value-to-action connections.
• Summative-for-this-lesson: exit ticket responses used to gauge students’ understanding and readiness for subsequent lessons.
• Feedback: teacher identifies common strengths and one misconception to address in Lesson 2.

Differentiation

• Support: provide a sentence starter bank (e.g., “Manaaki means…”, “This shows care by…”, “It improves the guest experience because…”).
• Support: reduce scenario complexity by limiting to 2–3 decision points and offering a model filled example.
• Extension: ask students to compare two approaches in a scenario (e.g., fast service vs careful service) and justify which best reflects manaaki.
• EAL/SEN: allow oral responses recorded by a peer or teacher; provide clear visuals for each value (thoughtfulness/ generosity/ care) and vocabulary cards for key phrases.