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Pūrākau Storyboard Activities

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Pūrākau Storyboard Activities

Read each short story, then complete the activities. For each set of four story events, label them Beginning, Challenge, Change or Ending. Finish by drawing one moment and adding a caption.

The Mountain at First Light

Long ago, a mountain stood alone beside the sea. It watched other mountains surrounded by people who knew their names and stories. The mountain wished for a home of its own. The mountain loved Pūwhenua, but she belonged to another. Sad and restless, it asked the patupaiarehe for help. They began to pull the mountain towards the coast. Before the journey was complete, dawn arrived. Sunlight touched the mountain and held it fast at the harbour entrance. The mountain had found a place among the people of Tauranga Moana. Today, Mauao stands at the harbour entrance. Its name is often translated as “caught by the dawn”. For many people, Mauao is a treasured place of deep significance.

Story order

Label each event with its place in the story: Beginning, Challenge, Change or Ending.

1.The patupaiarehe begin moving the mountain towards the coast.

2.The mountain wishes it had a name and a community to call its own.

3.The mountain longs for Pūwhenua, who belongs elsewhere, and asks for help.

4.Mauao is remembered as a significant place beside Tauranga Harbour.

5.According to the story, what happened when dawn reached the mountain?

6.Why did the mountain feel alone at the start?

7.Which idea is most central to the mountain’s journey?

The value of being the highest peak
Finding a place and a sense of belonging
How to travel safely by sea
Why dawn happens each day

Draw one moment from the mountain’s story. Add a caption that tells what is happening.

The Bay Takes a Rest

For generations, a community gathered food from a sheltered bay. People knew the seasons and took care to leave enough for the future. After a time, shellfish became harder to find and fewer fish appeared close to shore. The elders realised the bay needed a chance to recover. The community agreed to a rāhui, a temporary restriction on gathering from the area. Some people missed their usual harvest, but they followed the decision and looked after the bay in other ways. Later, the rāhui ended. Sea life had begun to return, and the community gathered food again with care. They shared a meal and gave thanks for the bay’s renewal.

Story order and meaning

Label each event with its place in the story: Beginning, Challenge, Change or Ending.

8.The community gathers food from the bay while taking care not to use too much.

9.With fewer fish and shellfish available, the elders see that the bay is under pressure.

10.The community agrees to stop gathering in the bay for a time.

11.After the restriction ends, the bay begins to recover and people gather carefully again.

12.What is a rāhui in this story, and what led the community to put one in place?

13.Choose all the values supported by the community’s actions.

Caring for the natural environment
Taking as much as possible before others do
Listening to community decisions
Being patient while resources recover
Trying to outdo neighbouring groups

14.How does the community show kaitiakitanga in the story?

Draw one moment from the bay story. Write a caption to explain your scene.

A Return to the Hills

When Maia was thirteen, she travelled with her whānau to visit the place where her grandparents had grown up. She knew little about the hills and waterways there, and felt unsure among relatives who shared memories she did not recognise. At first, Maia found it difficult to join conversations and waiata. She wondered whether this place could ever feel like home. One afternoon, her auntie walked with her to a lookout. She told stories about the local awa, the surrounding hills and the ancestors connected to the area. Maia listened, asked questions and began learning the place names. On the final day, Maia stood with her whānau and led a karakia before their journey home. She still had more to learn, but she felt a stronger connection to her family and the land.