Te Arawa as Kaitiaki

Overview

Students examine the role of Māori and Te Arawa as kaitiaki through a local case study of Taniwha Springs. They connect the idea of Papatūānuku as common ancestor and source of sustenance with environmental science, cultural knowledge, responsible resource use and the protection of living systems.

Learning intentions

• WALT understand kaitiakitanga and the role of Māori and Te Arawa in environmental stewardship.
• WALT explain how people depend on and interact with local environments.
• WALT connect environmental practices with mātauranga Māori and scientific thinking.
• WALT communicate a respectful, evidence-based explanation of kaitiakitanga.

Success criteria

• I can explain kaitiakitanga in my own words.
• I can describe ways Taniwha Springs and its surrounding environment support life, wellbeing and community.
• I can identify how Te Arawa knowledge and practices help care for the environment.
• I can suggest an action that supports the health of an ecosystem.

Curriculum links

• Ecosystems: Indigenous knowledge systems, including mātauranga Māori, are founded on long-term observations of environmental patterns.
• Biological Science — Ecosystems: humans can protect and restore ecosystems through sustainable practices, conservation and regeneration.
• Biological Science — Ecosystem interactions: evaluating ways humans can positively impact ecosystems and communicate actions that support kaitiakitanga.
• Science capabilities and values: gathering and interpreting information, communicating in science, participating and contributing, respect for others, and care for the environment.

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Whakatūwhera / hook. Teacher welcomes students, displays an image of a geothermal spring or local lake using the opening image and hook question, and asks: “If Papatūānuku provides water, food, travel and life, what responsibilities do people have in return?” Students think silently, share with a partner, then offer ideas using the words manaaki, whakapapa or kaitiakitanga if they know them.

2. 5–13 min · Build shared understanding. Teacher introduces Papatūānuku as a common ancestor and a source of mana and physical sustenance, emphasising that she is worthy of respect. Use the Papatūānuku and kaitiakitanga teaching slides to clarify that kaitiakitanga involves an active responsibility to protect, sustain and restore the natural world, rather than simply “owning” or “using” it. Students record a brief definition and one question on the Taniwha Springs case-study worksheet.

3. 13–25 min · Case study: Taniwha Springs. Teacher presents the case study from the Taniwha Springs case-study slides, explaining that students should consider the relationships between people, place and resources. Introduce the discussion prompts: geothermal features; lakes and waterways; koura and trout; kai; preserving and gardening; life cycles; travel; kōrero tuku iho; and kapa haka. Students work in groups of four to annotate the case-study information on the worksheet, identifying what the environment provides, who depends on it, and what actions could protect it. Remind students to distinguish information from their own inferences and to discuss Māori knowledge respectfully.

4. 25–36 min · Whakapapa of relationships discussion. Teacher draws three headings on the board: “The environment provides”, “People depend on”, and “People are responsible for”. Invite groups to contribute examples from their case study. Link each example to an ecosystem relationship: water supports organisms, food resources depend on healthy habitats, and human actions can either disrupt or sustain life cycles. Students complete a simple relationship map on the worksheet and explain one connection to another group. Teacher checks that students understand that mātauranga Māori and ecological science can provide complementary ways of observing and caring for environments.

5. 36–44 min · Kaitiakitanga in action. Teacher asks: “What might responsible guardianship look like at Taniwha Springs?” Display the kaitiakitanga action prompts. Students select one issue or resource and propose a practical action, such as protecting water quality, taking only what is needed, supporting regeneration, caring for gardens, or sharing knowledge through kōrero and kapa haka. They write a claim and a reason: “This action supports kaitiakitanga because…”. Invite two or three students to share.

6. 44–50 min · Reflection and exit check. Teacher returns to the opening question and asks students to complete the final prompt on the personal reflection and exit response: “In my own words, kaitiakitanga means…” and “One way people can show this at a local place is…”. Students hand in the sheet or read their response to a partner. Close with He taonga te wai—water is precious—and acknowledge that guardianship is a shared responsibility grounded in relationships with place.

Resources

• the complete Taniwha Springs teaching deck
• the Taniwha Springs case-study and reflection worksheet
• Projector or interactive display
• Board and markers
• Pens or highlighters for group annotation
• Local map or image of a geothermal spring, lake or waterway
• Optional bilingual word bank: kaitiakitanga, kaitiaki, mana, mauri, whakapapa, kōrero tuku iho, Papatūānuku

Assessment

• Listen to group explanations and question whether students can link resources, organisms, people and responsibilities.
• Check worksheet relationship maps and action statements for accurate ecosystem connections and respectful use of concepts.
• Use the final “In my own words…” response as an exit assessment of students’ understanding of kaitiakitanga.

Differentiation

• Provide a dyslexia-friendly worksheet and slides: clear sans-serif font, generous spacing, short text blocks, high contrast, diagrams or images, and the option to hear the case study read aloud.
• Offer sentence starters such as “Papatūānuku is important because…”, “Te Arawa show guardianship by…”, and “This action helps the ecosystem because…”. Allow students to respond through writing, speaking or a labelled relationship map.
• Pre-teach and display the te reo Māori word bank; pair students strategically and check pronunciation respectfully. Avoid requiring Māori students to speak for all Māori perspectives.
• Support students who need more structure with a partially completed relationship map. Advanced learners can compare a cultural responsibility with a scientific conservation action and explain how the two approaches might work together.

Extension

• Students research a local ecosystem issue and prepare a short proposal explaining how kaitiakitanga could guide a realistic protection or restoration action.
• Students create a two-minute oral presentation, poster or digital storyboard showing the relationships among Papatūānuku, people, living organisms and sustainable resource use.