Mātauranga and Place

Overview

In lesson 3 of Stories That Sustain Knowledge, students investigate how mātauranga Māori is connected to whenua, identity, observation, and responsibility. Using an approved local or Aotearoa New Zealand example, students map relationships between people, place, knowledge, and action, building on earlier learning about how stories sustain knowledge across generations.

Learning intentions

• WALT recognise how knowledge is connected to place, identity, and responsibility.
• WALT examine an approved and respectful example of mātauranga Māori.
• WALT use sources to identify perspectives and explain relationships between people and place.
• WALT communicate about cultural knowledge using respectful language.

Success criteria

• I can describe how a place shapes knowledge.
• I can explain one responsibility connected to that knowledge.
• I can show links between people, place, knowledge, and action.
• I can use respectful language when discussing mātauranga Māori.

Curriculum links

• Social Sciences — Years 7–8: using sources to examine perspectives.
• Social Sciences — Years 7–8: analysing responses to challenges and events.
• Social Sciences — Years 7–8: engaging in social sciences dialogue and communicating understanding.
• History — Stories from or about the distant past: building on knowledge learned through stories and retelling what has been learned.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Hook and retrieval. Display a photograph of a local awa, coastline, forest, or night sky and open with the hook and retrieval slides. Ask: “What knowledge might people develop by living closely with this place?” Students first write three observations, then share one idea with a partner. Emphasise that mātauranga Māori is not simply information; it includes knowledge, values, relationships, and ways of doing.

2. 7–17 min · Establish respectful foundations. Use the mātauranga and respectful language slides to introduce the selected example, such as seasonal indicators used to guide planting, harvesting, fishing, or environmental care. Explain the source, iwi or community connection where appropriate, and that some mātauranga is taonga and not for public sharing. Model language such as “This source explains…” and “Some Māori communities…” rather than making generalisations. Students identify the place, people, knowledge, and purpose in the example.

3. 17–30 min · Source examination. Provide the source analysis and relationship-map worksheet and display the source enquiry prompts. In mixed-ability groups of four, students examine the approved source or teacher-provided extract and answer: What place is involved? Who holds or uses this knowledge? What observations or experiences support it? What does the knowledge help people do? What values or responsibilities are shown? Students record evidence rather than guessing or adding unsupported claims.

4. 30–45 min · Map the relationships. Groups complete the central relationship map on the source analysis and relationship-map worksheet. They place the selected place in the centre and connect it to people, knowledge, identity, actions, and responsibility using labelled arrows. Circulate and ask, “What in the source makes you think that?” and “How might this responsibility help care for the place?” Each group prepares a 60-second explanation, ensuring every student has a speaking or evidence-finding role.

5. 45–55 min · Share and dialogue. Invite groups to present their maps while displaying the discussion and presentation prompts. After each presentation, classmates ask one evidence-based question or offer one connection. Guide students to compare examples without ranking or treating one form of knowledge as more valid than another. Revisit respectful language and correct inaccuracies sensitively.

6. 55–60 min · Exit reflection. Students complete the final section of the source analysis and relationship-map worksheet independently: “This place shapes knowledge by…”, “One responsibility connected to this knowledge is…”, and “One respectful phrase I can use is…”. Collect responses to identify who can explain the place–knowledge–responsibility relationship.

Resources

• the complete Mātauranga and Place slide deck
• the source analysis and relationship-map worksheet
• Teacher-approved local or Aotearoa New Zealand source about mātauranga Māori
• Local map or Aotearoa New Zealand map
• Photograph or image of the selected place
• Display screen or projector
• Pens, pencils, and highlighters
• Four group role labels, if helpful

Assessment

• Listen during group analysis for accurate identification of place, knowledge, people, and purpose; question students for evidence from the source.
• Check relationship maps for clear, labelled links between place, identity, knowledge, action, and responsibility.
• Use the exit reflection to assess whether each student can describe how place shapes knowledge and name a connected responsibility.

Differentiation

• Provide a local map, photographs, a word bank, sentence starters, and a partially completed model map for students needing support.
• Pre-teach terms such as mātauranga, whenua, kaitiakitanga, taonga, indicator, identity, and responsibility, while clarifying that meanings depend on context.
• Use mixed-ability groups with structured roles: reader, evidence finder, map builder, and speaker. Allow students to contribute orally, visually, or in writing.
• For EAL learners and students with literacy needs, read the source aloud, chunk information, use icons and colour coding, and accept labelled drawings alongside written explanations.
• Monitor cultural safety: use only approved resources, avoid asking students to disclose family or iwi knowledge, and remind the class that knowledge must be treated with care and respect.

Extension

• Research how a local environmental practice connected to mātauranga Māori supports sustainability today, using an approved source.
• Add a “past, present, future” section to the group map showing how the practice has continued, adapted, or informed contemporary environmental action.