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Early New Zealand History Worksheet

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Early New Zealand History Worksheet

Read the short source carefully, then use evidence to solve each task. Māori history includes diverse iwi traditions; where accounts differ, identify whose account is being discussed rather than treating one version as universal.

Source: Voyaging and settlement

Māori ancestors travelled across the Pacific in ocean-going waka (canoes) and settled Aotearoa over many generations, probably from about the 13th century CE. Navigators drew on accumulated knowledge of stars, the Sun, winds, swells, currents, clouds, and wildlife. These skills were learned and shared; they were not guesswork. Different iwi hold their own traditions about arrival and important ancestors. Kupe is remembered in some traditions as an early explorer associated with Aotearoa, but accounts of his journeys and dates vary. After settlement, Māori communities developed relationships with particular places and resources. Oral histories, including whakapapa (genealogy and relationships) and pūrākau (traditional stories), have helped pass knowledge, identity, and histories between generations.

1.Select the four environmental signs that the source says navigators could use.

Stars
Ocean swells
GPS signals
Birds and other wildlife
Currents
Road signs

2.A classmate says, “The source proves every iwi tells exactly the same story about Kupe.” Is this claim supported? Give one reason from the source.

3.Match each Māori term to the meaning given in the source.

whakapapa
pūrākau
waka

traditional stories
canoe
genealogy and relationships

4.Explain two reasons oral histories could be important to Māori communities, using details from the source.

Aotearoa in a changing world

Use the timeline as a starting point, not as a complete account of the past. Dates are approximate where marked.

About the 13th century CE: Polynesian settlement of Aotearoa over generations

1642: Abel Tasman’s Dutch expedition reaches Aotearoa; there is a violent encounter with Māori at what is now Golden Bay / Mohua

1769: James Cook’s first voyage reaches Aotearoa; encounters and exchanges with Māori vary by place

1840: Te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi is signed by many Māori rangatira and representatives of the Crown

5.Write the four timeline events from earliest to latest. Include the year or approximate date for each.

6.Which event is dated approximately, and why is it useful to show that uncertainty rather than give a falsely exact year?

7.“The timeline shows that encounters between Māori and Europeans were always the same wherever they happened.” Decide whether this is true or false and explain your decision using a timeline detail.

A source at the post office

At a local post office, Ngaio and Anahera are helping prepare a history display. A customer brings in a copied statement: “The signing of Te Tiriti in 1840 settled every disagreement at once.” They decide to assess the statement before using it. Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the English-language Treaty of Waitangi are related texts, but their wording differs in important ways. The agreements were signed by many rangatira and Crown representatives, not every Māori rangatira. Their meaning and effects have been debated, and later Crown actions and conflicts shaped the history that followed.

8.Using the post-office source, identify one reason the customer’s statement is too broad. Include one detail that challenges it.

9.Write a two-sentence caption for the display. It must describe one event from the timeline accurately and include a qualification that avoids claiming all Māori had the same experience or view.