Māori Designs: First Impressions

Overview

This first lesson in the two-part unit introduces students to the significance and visual elements of selected Māori designs. Students examine pattern, line, shape, repetition and symbolism, while recognising that Māori art is connected to whakapapa, place, identity and relationships. The lesson establishes respectful foundations before students develop their own layered artwork in Lesson 2.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify visual elements found in selected Māori artworks.
• WALT discuss how patterns and symbols can communicate meaning.
• WALT respond respectfully to Māori art and cultural knowledge.
• WALT record visual ideas that could inform our own artwork without copying or misusing culturally significant designs.

Success criteria

• I can identify line, shape, pattern, repetition and layering in an artwork.
• I can describe what I notice before suggesting a possible meaning.
• I can explain why Māori designs should be approached with respect and context.
• I can record my own visual responses and questions for use in the next lesson.

Curriculum links

• Visual Arts — developing practical knowledge of art-making conventions, techniques, technologies and processes.
• Visual Arts — developing ideas in response to sources of inspiration, experiences and observations.
• Visual Arts — communicating and interpreting ideas through visual language.
• The New Zealand Curriculum key competencies: thinking; using language, symbols and texts; relating to others; and participating and contributing.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and cultural framing. Teacher opens with the opening image and guiding question and explains that Māori art is diverse, meaningful and connected to people, place and stories; students silently note one detail they notice and one question they have. Emphasise that the class is learning about selected examples, not treating all Māori designs as interchangeable. Students use respectful language such as “I notice…” and “I wonder…”, rather than making unsupported claims about meaning.

2. 5–13 min · Looking closely. Teacher presents the artwork observation slides showing carefully selected, appropriately attributed examples and models looking before interpreting. Students work in five pairs, recording observations about line, shape, pattern, repetition, balance, contrast and layering on the Māori design observation worksheet. Avoid presenting sacred, restricted or iwi-specific knowledge as generic classroom decoration. Where possible, use school-approved resources and local iwi guidance.

3. 13–20 min · Mini-teach: elements and meaning. Teacher uses the visual elements and context slides to explain that visual choices can communicate identity, relationships, environment, history or values, but meanings depend on context and should not be guessed as universal. Introduce the idea that repeated forms may create rhythm and structure, while layers can suggest connection, depth or a developing story. Students choose one artwork and complete: “I can see…”, “This might suggest…”, and “I would need to know more about…”.

4. 20–31 min · Pattern investigation. Teacher demonstrates making a small abstract pattern study using original lines, geometric and organic shapes, repetition, variation and overlapping layers. Explain that students are not copying named or culturally significant motifs; they are exploring art elements and their own responses. Students create three thumbnail studies on the Māori design observation worksheet: one repeated pattern, one layered pattern and one pattern inspired by a local place, feeling or relationship. They label the elements they have used.

5. 31–39 min · Pair kōrero and feedback. Teacher displays the discussion and feedback prompts and reminds students to ask permission before handling another person’s work. Pairs take turns describing one study using “I notice…” and asking “What idea were you exploring?” Each student gives one specific positive observation and one question or suggestion. Students revise one thumbnail by adding, removing or changing a line, shape, repeat or layer.

6. 39–45 min · Plenary and exit response. Teacher returns to the final reflection slide and facilitates a brief whole-class discussion: “How can an artwork communicate meaning without using words?” Students complete the final section of the Māori design observation worksheet: one visual element they will use next lesson, one personal idea they may develop, and one respectful practice they will follow.

Resources

• the Māori design introduction deck
• the Māori design observation worksheet
• Teacher-approved images of selected Māori artworks, with artist, iwi or source context where available
• A3 or A4 drawing paper
• Pencils, erasers, black felt-tip pens and coloured pencils
• Rulers or geometry tools
• Whiteboard and markers
• Visual Arts vocabulary displayed on the board: line, shape, pattern, repetition, layering, contrast, meaning

Assessment

• Listen to pair discussions for accurate use of visual arts vocabulary and respectful, evidence-based interpretations.
• Check thumbnail studies for deliberate use of repetition, layering and variation, rather than direct copying of culturally significant motifs.
• Collect the worksheet as an exit response. Use students’ chosen elements and questions to group support and prepare the next lesson.

Differentiation

• Provide a word bank, visual examples and sentence starters: “I notice…”, “The artist has used…”, “This could suggest…”, and “I need more context about…”.
• Offer pre-drawn boxes, larger paper, pencils before pens, and the option to explain ideas orally for students with fine-motor, literacy or processing needs.
• Pair students strategically and allow quiet think-time before discussion; explicitly teach respectful turn-taking and pronunciation of Māori words used in the lesson.
• Extend confident students by asking them to combine two contrasting pattern systems, explain how layering changes the viewer’s focus, and identify what further cultural context they would need before making an interpretation.