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Treaty Writing Week

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Treaty Writing Week

A community youth group is preparing a short guide for new students about the Treaty of Waitangi and how its principles can shape everyday decisions. Read the information, then plan and write a clear, respectful paragraph. Use evidence from the text and your own reasoning.

Read: Making room for everyone

At a youth centre in Aotearoa New Zealand, a group is planning a community garden. Some students want a quiet area for native plants; others hope to grow vegetables that families can take home. The group invites local mana whenua to share knowledge about the place and its history. They also ask families and young people what they would like the garden to include. The group agrees to plan together rather than letting one person decide. They choose plants suited to the local environment and make a plan to care for the garden over time. They also agree to check that everyone can take part, including people who need an accessible path. The Treaty of Waitangi / Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed in 1840. It is a foundational agreement in Aotearoa New Zealand. Partnership, participation and protection are often used as principles to help explain responsibilities connected with the Treaty. These principles can guide discussion, but they do not replace the Treaty’s texts or the diverse views Māori hold about it.

Understand the ideas

Use details from the reading to answer. Write in complete sentences where appropriate.

1.Which year does the reading give for the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi?

2.Select the detail that best shows participation in the garden plan.

The group chooses plants suited to the local environment.
The group asks families and young people what they would like.
The group checks the plan after some time.
One person makes the decision alone.

3.In your own words, explain one way the group shows partnership. Support your answer with a detail from the reading.

4.The group chooses plants suited to the local environment and agrees to care for the garden over time. Explain how these actions could connect with protection.

5.Match each kupu with the meaning used in this activity.

Tangata whenua
Tauiwi
Rangatiratanga
Kāwanatanga

People who are not Māori
Governance or government
People of the land
Authority or chiefly authority

Plan and write

Choose one principle—partnership, participation or protection. Make a focused point about how it could guide a community decision. Use evidence from the reading, explain why it matters, and include a realistic example. Remember that the principles are ways of discussing responsibilities, not a substitute for the Treaty texts or Māori perspectives.

6.Write a topic sentence naming your chosen principle and making a clear point about it.

7.Note one piece of evidence from the reading that supports your point, then explain how it supports the point.

8.Draft a paragraph of 5–7 sentences for the youth group’s guide. Include a topic sentence, at least one detail from the reading, an explanation, a realistic example and a concluding sentence. Use respectful, precise language.

9.Revise one sentence from your paragraph: replace a vague word such as “good,” “nice” or “things” with a more precise word or phrase. Write the original idea and your improved sentence.

10.A writer claims, “Protection only means keeping people out.” Is this claim supported by the reading? Explain your judgement using a detail from the text.