🌱 Part 1: Understanding Whenua

1. What does whenua mean to you? Write 2-3 sentences about your personal connection to the land.

2. Circle the Māori concepts that relate to caring for whenua (select all that apply):

Kaitiakitanga (guardianship)

Mauri (life force)

Whakapapa (genealogy/connections)

Manaakitanga (hospitality)

3. Why is it important to include Aotearoa New Zealand perspectives when talking about land? Explain your thinking.

📝 Part 2: Speech Planning Framework

4. Choose your speech purpose (circle one):

To persuade others to protect whenua

To inform about the importance of whenua

To share a personal story about land connection

5. Who is your target audience? ________________

6. Plan your speech structure:

Introduction - Hook your audience:

Key Point 1:

Key Point 2:

Key Point 3:

Conclusion - Call to action:

🎯 Part 3: Language Features & Techniques

7. Match the persuasive technique with its example:

1. Rhetorical question

2. Repetition

3. Emotive language

4. Personal anecdote

A. "When I was young, my koro taught me..."

B. "What will we leave for future generations?"

C. "We must protect, we must preserve, we must act"

D. "Devastating destruction of our precious whenua"

8. Improve these simple sentences by combining them into complex sentences. Use conjunctions like 'because', 'although', 'when', 'since':

Simple: Whenua is important. It connects us to our ancestors.

Complex: ________________________________________________

Simple: We need to protect the land. Future generations depend on it.

Complex: ________________________________________________

9. Write three powerful opening sentences for your speech using different techniques:

Rhetorical question:

Startling fact or statistic:

Personal story beginning:

✍️ Part 4: Draft Your Speech

10. Write your complete speech draft below. Aim for 2-3 minutes speaking time (approximately 300-400 words). Remember to include:

• Variety in sentence structures (simple, compound, complex)

• Persuasive language techniques

• Respectful use of te reo Māori concepts

• Clear introduction, body, and conclusion

• Appropriate punctuation and paragraphing

🗣️ Part 5: Presentation Preparation & Peer Feedback

11. Practice notes - What will you focus on for delivery?

Voice (volume, pace, tone): ________________________________

Body language (posture, gestures, eye contact): ________________________________

Key words to emphasise: ________________________________

12. Peer feedback section (to be completed by a classmate):

Peer's name: ________________________________

What was the strongest part of this speech?

One suggestion for improvement:

How well did the speaker show respect for whenua and Māori perspectives?

13. Self-reflection after presenting:

What went well in my presentation?

What would I change or improve next time?

How has this activity changed my understanding of whenua?

Whenua Speech Writing Workshop

Whenua Speech Writing Workshop

🌱 Part 1: Understanding Whenua

📝 Part 2: Speech Planning Framework

🎯 Part 3: Language Features & Techniques

✍️ Part 4: Draft Your Speech

🗣️ Part 5: Presentation Preparation & Peer Feedback

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