What Is Pūrākau?

Overview

This first lesson establishes pūrākau as living Māori knowledge, histories, and teaching narratives, rather than simply “myths”. Students explore how meaning is shaped by context, whakapapa, purpose, audience, and tikanga, then co-construct guidelines for respectful learning across the unit.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• define pūrākau in a historical and cultural context
• distinguish pūrākau from a Western “myth” framework without ranking either
• explain why context, language, whakapapa, and purpose matter when interpreting narratives
• contribute to culturally safe, respectful learning guidelines

Success criteria

• I can explain pūrākau using my own words.
• I can identify at least two ways pūrākau may differ from a Western myth framework.
• I can use evidence from a short source to explain why context matters.
• I can suggest and follow respectful guidelines for learning about pūrākau.

Curriculum links

• Demonstrate understanding of historical concepts in contexts of significance to Aotearoa New Zealand, including describing and explaining concepts using relevant historical evidence.
• Engage with a variety of primary sources in a historical context by identifying relevance, strengths, and limitations.
• New Zealand Curriculum Level 6 Social Sciences: understand how people’s interpretations of events and actions are shaped by their values and perspectives.
• Key competencies: relating to others; participating and contributing; thinking; using language, symbols, and texts.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Provocation and prior knowledge. Teacher displays the question “Is a pūrākau just a myth?” using the opening question slide, and explains that students may pass if a topic feels personally sensitive. Students complete a silent think-pair-share, recording one word or question about the term “pūrākau”; no student is expected to share personal whakapapa or cultural knowledge.

2. 5–12 min · Establishing meaning. Teacher introduces a careful working definition: pūrākau are Māori narratives that can carry histories, knowledge, values, explanations, relationships, and guidance, and may remain meaningful in the present. Teacher models pronunciation of pūrākau and clarifies that meanings and appropriate interpretations depend on iwi, hapū, whānau, speaker, place, and purpose. Students annotate the pūrākau concepts worksheet by completing “Pūrākau can…” and “Context matters because…”.

3. 12–20 min · Compare frameworks. Teacher presents two short, age-appropriate descriptions on the framework comparison slides: a pūrākau framework and a broad Western “myth” framework. Emphasise that “myth” is often used in English to mean a traditional story, but can also imply something untrue; this implication may not fit Māori understandings. Students work in pairs to identify similarities and differences, using the sentence starters “Both frameworks…” and “A possible difference is…”. They must avoid deciding which framework is more valid.

4. 20–30 min · Source and context inquiry. Teacher reads aloud a short, attributed excerpt or retelling of a pūrākau selected with appropriate local or iwi guidance, without treating it as a complete or universally representative version. The source and its context are shown on the source inquiry slides. Students answer three questions on the worksheet: What information or teaching is present? Who might the intended audience be? What context do we need before interpreting it? Pairs highlight one specific detail as evidence and identify one limitation, such as being a retelling, translation, or excerpt removed from its original setting.

5. 30–38 min · Co-construct cultural safety guidelines. Teacher gathers suggestions under the headings “Respect”, “Pronunciation”, “Attribution”, and “Cultural safety” on the board, using the respectful learning guidelines slide to prompt discussion. Students suggest practical guidelines, such as asking rather than assuming, naming the source and iwi or hapū where known, not mocking pronunciation, distinguishing personal opinion from sourced knowledge, and not recording or sharing sensitive material without permission. The class agrees on five or six guidelines for the unit.

6. 38–45 min · Consolidation and exit check. Teacher revisits the opening question and asks students to improve their first response using the key ideas from the lesson. Students complete the final section of the pūrākau concepts worksheet and finish with the success criteria exit ticket slips, responding to: “Define pūrākau”, “Why does context matter?”, and “One guideline I will follow is…”. Invite two or three students to share, while accepting written or private responses.

Resources

• the pūrākau introduction and inquiry deck
• the pūrākau concepts worksheet
• the success criteria exit ticket slips
• Board or shared digital space for co-constructed guidelines
• Teacher-selected, appropriately attributed pūrākau excerpt or retelling
• Audio version of the excerpt and teacher pronunciation model
• Vocabulary cards: pūrākau, tikanga, whakapapa, context, kaupapa, iwi, hapū, source, retelling

Assessment

• Listen to pair discussions and check whether students use “context”, “purpose”, “audience”, or “knowledge” accurately.
• Check worksheet annotations for a working definition, a supported comparison, and recognition of a source limitation.
• Use the exit ticket to identify misconceptions, particularly equating pūrākau with fictional stories or treating “myth” as simply “false”.

Differentiation

• Provide vocabulary cards, a visual concept map, orally delivered instructions, and sentence starters such as “This matters because…” and “We need to know…”.
• Use short, well-spaced text with clear headings; read all source material aloud and provide an audio option. Do not use timed reading.
• Allow students to respond through speech, drawing, bullet points, or a scribe. Do not require students to disclose cultural identity, whakapapa, or personal experiences.
• Pair students strategically and provide a partially completed comparison table for learners who need greater structure. Support English language learners with images, pronunciation rehearsal, and plain-language definitions.

Extension

• Students compare pūrākau with another cultural narrative framework they know or research, identifying similarities and differences in purpose, knowledge, and relationship to community. They must avoid ranking the frameworks and explain how their own position or limited context may shape the comparison.
• Students write one question they would need to investigate before making a confident historical interpretation of a pūrākau.