Pāwerawera Voyage

Unit plan overview — Year 0-2

This 5-week unit explores the story of Pāwerawera and Pawa, captain of the Horouta waka, supporting young New Zealand learners to understand ancestral navigation, whakapapa, and place through engaging, age-appropriate activities.

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Curriculum alignment

Social Sciences | The New Zealand Curriculum Refresh

• Understanding about the past in Aotearoa New Zealand
  Students learn how people lived in the past and identify significant places and events.
• Communicating and participating
  Develop skills in oral language and visual representations to share ideas.
• Key competencies developed:
  Thinking (mapping routes and understanding journeys),
  Using language, symbols, and text (interpreting maps and stories),
  Relating to others (collaborative learning in shared story contexts).

Social Sciences Achievement Objective | Level 1
Understand how they and others remember and describe the past in different ways.

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Weekly breakdown

Week 1: Introduction to Pāwerawera and Pawa

• WALT: We are learning to listen and retell stories about Pāwerawera and Pawa.
• Activity: Read aloud a simple narrative of Pāwerawera’s pā and Pawa as captain of Horouta waka, referencing the story of Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki and the waka Horouta. Use images and a large story map to scaffold understanding.
• Success Criteria:
  • I can listen to the story quietly.
  • I can share a part of the story with a friend or teacher.
• Extension: Children draw pictures of Pāwerawera’s pā or the waka.

Week 2: Whakapapa and place

• WALT: We are learning to identify important places connected to Pāwerawera and Pawa.
• Activity: Using a large map of Aotearoa NZ (simplified with landmarks), identify Pāwerawera pā near Te Karaka, and trace the Horouta waka’s voyage coastlines. Discuss simple place names in te reo Māori.
• Success Criteria:
  • I can point to Pāwerawera pā on the map.
  • I can say some place names from the story.
• Extension: Students use playdough or blocks to build a model pā or waka.

Week 3: Mapping the Horouta waka migration route

• WALT: We are learning to map the migration route of the Horouta waka.
• Activity: Children help colour or place markers on a classroom map tracing the route from Hawaiki to Turanganui-a-Kiwa (Gisborne), guided by teacher and supported by pictures/resources of waka and sea. Use arrows and compass points (rāwhiti/east, uru/west).
• Success Criteria:
  • I can place markers along the waka route on the map.
  • I can say which direction the waka travelled.
• Extension: Advanced learners use directional language to describe route changes and simple compass points.

Week 4: Ancestral navigation techniques

• WALT: We are learning how Māori navigated the ocean on waka like Horouta.
• Activity: Explore simple navigation methods: looking at stars, sea birds, waves, and wind. Use a tactile activity with models or images. Children create their own 'compass star' craft to understand directional guidance.
• Success Criteria:
  • I can name one way Māori ancestors found their way.
  • I can make a compass star to show direction.
• Extension: Learners practice simple directions with a scavenger hunt in the classroom or outside ("go three steps north/raki").

Week 5: Review and presentation

• WALT: We are learning to share what we have learned about Pāwerawera, Pawa, and the Horouta waka journey.
• Activity: Children work in pairs or groups to retell the story using the map, their drawings, and the compass stars. Present to the class or small groups. Teacher facilitates questions and reflections.
• Success Criteria:
  • I can explain the journey of Horouta waka.
  • I can use the map or drawing to show the waka’s route.
• Extension: Create a class mural or digital slideshow reflecting the Horouta waka journey, including student artwork, captions, and directions.

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Learning resources to include

• Simplified maps highlighting North Island coast, Turanganui-a-Kiwa, and Hawaiki origins.
• Story images and photos from Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki and Horouta waka narratives.
• Craft supplies for compass stars and waka/pā models.
• Directional language posters in English and te reo Māori (e.g., raki/north, tonga/south).
• Story map of Pāwerawera’s pā and the Horouta waka voyage.

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Assessment for learning

• Formative: Observe student participation in discussions, map activities, and retelling. Use guiding questions to check comprehension of place and route.
• Peer assessment: Encourage students to listen and ask questions during group presentations.
• Teacher checklist: Confirm each child can identify key places and use simple directional language.

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Notes on teaching and learning supports

• Incorporate explicit modelling, repetition, and visuals for language support.
• Use guided small groups for students needing extra support or challenge.
• Use the rich narrative of Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki to connect students to local iwi stories and place-based identity.
• Highlight Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles through respect for Māori perspectives and language.

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This unit draws directly upon the cultural history of Pāwerawera and Māhaki’s pā from Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki, the voyage and navigation of Horouta waka as found in the Māori oral tradition, mapped geographically from Hawaiki to Turanganui-a-Kiwa, promoting foundational social science skills for young tamariki aligned to the New Zealand Curriculum Refresh .

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If you would like, I can also create weekly detailed 40-minute lesson plans with timings, activities, WALT, and success criteria for this unit. Would you like me to do that?