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Māori History Speech Writing

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Māori History Speech Writing

Plan and write a short speech about why learning Māori history matters. Use the information on this page, organise your ideas, and practise how you will speak to an audience.

Read: Stories connect us

Stories about the past help us understand how people lived, what they valued, and how places have changed. Māori history includes the stories, knowledge, and experiences of tangata whenua, the people of the land. It is shared in many ways, including kōrero (speaking), waiata (song), art, and written records. Tūpuna means ancestors. Whakapapa describes connections between people, places, and generations. A whakataukī is a proverb or saying that can share wisdom. These are examples of important ideas and words; each iwi and hapū has its own histories and knowledge. When we learn Māori history, we can listen respectfully, ask thoughtful questions, and understand more about Aotearoa. A good speech has a greeting and topic, clear reasons with examples, and a closing idea. A speaker helps listeners by using a clear voice, a steady pace, and friendly eye contact.

1.Which sentence best explains why Māori history is important to learn about?

It helps us understand people, places, and the past in Aotearoa.
It means every iwi has exactly the same stories.
It is only useful for people who write books.

2.Match each te reo Māori word with its meaning.

tūpuna
whakapapa
whakataukī

connections between people, places, and generations
a proverb or saying
ancestors

3.The passage says that each iwi and hapū has exactly the same histories and knowledge.

TrueFalse

4.Write one way, named in the passage, that Māori history and knowledge can be shared.

Plan a short speech

Imagine you are speaking to children and whānau at a community gathering. Your topic is: “Why is learning Māori history important?” Use the passage to plan a respectful speech with a beginning, middle, and end.

5.Which opening would help listeners know the topic and feel welcomed?

Kia ora koutou. Today I will share why learning Māori history matters.
I forgot what I was going to say.
This speech is about lots of things, maybe.

6.Write two different reasons for learning Māori history. Use an idea from the passage for at least one reason.

7.Choose one idea to explain in your speech: tūpuna, whakapapa, waiata, or whakataukī. Write a sentence explaining what it means or how it helps share knowledge.

8.Number these speech parts from 1 to 3: closing idea; greeting and topic; reasons with an example.

9.Write a short speech of about 4–6 sentences. Include a greeting, your topic, at least two reasons, one example from the passage, and a clear closing sentence.

10.You are practising your speech. Name two things you can do to help listeners hear and understand you.