Unit #2: Whenua and Whakapapa

Lesson 2: Understanding Local Culture — Hapū and Iwi of Governors Bay

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📚 Curriculum Links

Learning Area: Social Sciences
Curriculum Level: Level 1 (Years 0–3) — Te Matauranga o Aotearoa / The New Zealand Curriculum

Strand:
Social Studies – Identity, Culture, and Organisation

Students understand how the cultures of people in New Zealand are expressed in their daily lives.
Students gain knowledge of how people belong to different groups and what that means for themselves and others.

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🎯 Learning Intentions

By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Be able to identify the hapū and iwi of Governors Bay.
• Understand why these groups are important to the local area.
• Recognise how hapū and iwi contribute meaningfully to the community.
• Create a simple visual representation of knowledge from the lesson.

📏 Success Criteria

Students can:

• Name at least one iwi and one hapū from the Governors Bay area.
• Share one key fact they’ve learned about the local iwi/hapū.
• Create a drawing or collage that shows an element of the local group's contribution (e.g., place names, landmarks, traditional practices).

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🕒 Time Allocation — 50 Minutes

Time	Activity
0–10 min	Mihi whakatau and connection to prior learning
10–15 min	Storytelling session — He Kōrero o te Whenua
15–25 min	Interactive discussion and visual map activity
25–40 min	Creative expression: “He Taonga nō te Hapū” art task
40–48 min	Sharing circle
48–50 min	Whakarāpopoto (Wrap up) and hira/hot questions

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🧭 Lesson Sequence

🌀 Mihi Whakatau & Recap — 10 mins

Purpose: To warmly settle students and revisit prior learning to make connections to today's cultural theme.

Begin with a short mihi and karakia. Invite students to sit in the circle from the previous lesson. Ask:

• “What do you remember from our last lesson about Governors Bay?”
• “Who lives there? Who does the land belong to?”

Use a large class KWL (Know, Want to know, Learnt) chart to record students’ remembered knowledge about people of Governors Bay.

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📖 He Kōrero o te Whenua — 5 mins

Purpose: To introduce the concept of mana whenua and place identity through storytelling.

Read a short illustrated pūrākau (traditional story) or local iwi-authored story (e.g., involving Ngāti Wheke of Rāpaki). If possible, use a picture book or local iwi resource that shares whakapapa and whenua connection to Whakaraupō (Lyttelton Harbour).

Example: A simplified retelling of the story of the arrival of Māori in Whakaraupō, their ties to the land and water, and the role of Ngāti Wheke.

Prompt:
“Who do you think takes care of this harbour today?”
“Why would this area be special to them?”

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🗺️ Interactive Map Talk — 10 mins

Purpose: To consolidate student understanding of location and cultural significance.

• Use a large map of Te Waipounamu and zoom into the Banks Peninsula (Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū).
• Identify important local names: Rāpaki, Whakaraupō, Ngāti Wheke, and Ngāi Tahu.
• As each is mentioned, write it on the board and have students say the name aloud, building familiarity.

Mini activity:
Hand out small picture cards (e.g., waka, pā sites, harbours, people with taonga). Ask students to place them on a shared classroom map to show associations with iwi and hapū.

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🎨 "He Taonga nō te Hapū" Creative Task — 15 mins

Purpose: To allow tamariki to process and represent new learning creatively.

Materials:

• A4 sketch paper
• Crayons, pastels, scissors, glue
• Pre-cut newspaper, labels, magazines for collage

Task:
Students choose one thing they learned about the iwi or hapū of Governors Bay and create a drawing or collage to represent it. Options include:

• Pēpeha linked to the bay
• Ngāti Wheke’s waka
• A maunga or whare
• A symbolic taonga passed through generations

Encourage them to add labels or short dictated sentences to describe their artwork (with help from teachers/aide).

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🗣️ Ako Time — Sharing Circle — 8 mins

Purpose: To build oral language and social connection.

Sit in a circle with artworks. Invite students to share who/what they represented and why.
Use guiding questions:

• “Who did you draw?”
• “What is something special your hapū or iwi did in our story?”

Kaiako note links to values such as manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga or whanaungatanga.

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🌟 Whakarāpopoto / Wrap Up — 2 mins

Thank ākonga for their kōrero and mahi toi. Revisit today’s Learning Intention and ask:

• “What did we learn about the people of this land?”
• “Why are they important to remember?"

Let ākonga know their artwork will be used to create a class “Ko Wai Tātou” (Who Are We?) wall mural celebrating the people of Governors Bay.

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📌 Differentiation and Extensions

Support:

• Extra adult assistance for writing or speaking
• Visual aids, Māori-English word cards
• Buddy system for paired storytelling

Extension:

• Early finishers can create a second image showing how people today honour iwi contributions (e.g., signposting, art, language, marae visits).
• Introduce pepeha writing with simple scaffolded structures for older ākonga (Year 3s)

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🎒Prepared Resources Checklist

Resource	Prepared?
Classroom map of local area	✅
Pūrākau / storybook	✅
Visual prompts for discussion	✅
Art supplies: paper, pastels, collage material	✅
KWL wall chart	✅

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📘 Teacher Reflection Prompts (Post-Lesson)

• Were students able to recall and personally relate to the local iwi or hapū?
• Did students show increased confidence using Māori terms and names?
• What storytelling elements engaged the students most?
• What would I adapt for our class mural session?

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🎉 Wow Factor Highlight

This lesson gives ākonga a real and respectful connection to tangata whenua, while encouraging hands-on expression through mahi toi. The tie-in with visual storytelling and class-wide mural creation provides a lasting and proudly visible learning artefact that honours local identity and culture.