Aotearoa New Zealand Histories Curriculum guide years 9 and 10

Ko wai te mana whenua o Te Tau Ihu o te waka a Māui?

Te Ao Tangata Social Sciences/ Aotearoa NZ Histories Curriculum (2022) Links

This guide was produced by Rebecca Baird, HOLA Social Science/ HOD History at Nelson College for Girls as a sabbatical project, funded by The Ministry of Education/ Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga.

The guide is geared towards a secondary context and the implementation of the Aotearoa NZ Histories curriculum in schools in Te Tau Ihu. It has been developed for years 9 and 10, to assist students who may not have had much exposure to the new curriculum to gain the foundational learning they will need to successfully engage with the curriculum through their remaining secondary years. While the focus is on years 9 and 10, ideas from the document will be found useful at other levels and potentially by teachers seeking to upskill themselves.

The document below can also be downloaded as a PDF.

Ko wai te mana whenua o Te Tau Ihu o te waka a Māui? Me tiro whakamuri, kia anga whakamua.

If we want to shape the future, start with the past. (ANZHC whakataukī)

Te Ao Tangata Social Sciences/ Aotearoa NZ Histories Curriculum (2022) Links

Big ideas (Understand):

  1. Māori history is the foundational and continuous history of Aotearoa New Zealand.
  2. Colonisation and settlement have been central to Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories for the past 200 years.
  3. People’s lived experiences have been shaped by the use and misuse of power.
  4. People hold different perspectives on the world depending on their values, traditions, and experiences.
  5. People participate in communities by acting on their beliefs and through the roles they hold.
  6. Interactions change societies and environments.

Contexts (Know):

Please note, as this curriculum is new and this teaching and learning is considered foundational, contexts are drawn from all levels of learning (not just limited to a secondary end of Year 10 level).

References/ links

Note all the references that follow are English language references. I did not have the Te Reo Māori language skills to use or critique Māori medium resources, although I would like to be able to compile these in the future, with appropriate support, to enable my students with reo backgrounds to be able to engage with their histories in their language.

Teacher References:

Teacher/ Student References:

Rationale

There is so much potential for local history in our rohe. We have the site of earliest arrival of people – the Polynesians who became known as Māori and then later European explorers. Colonisation and conflict happened here and continues through to today. But this teaching and learning plan focuses on what would be fundamental learning for anyone living in Te Tau Ihu – who are the tangata whenua of Te Tauihu? It is a rich, complex question that makes our region unique. Eight iwi have mana whenua status across our region. For the same reasons it is a great place to live today, it held attraction throughout our past. Furthermore, trends of contact and conflict in Aotearoa impacted on Te Tauihu as it did the rest of the country. In terms of Social Studies learning, there is potential to develop learning about many big ideas when focusing on the ‘Musket Wars’, hekenga and arrival of those that are now our tangata whenua. This could involve looking at the impact of Pakeha contact and colonisation, or the push and pull factors and consequences of massive internal migration, or how relationships between different groups can lead to both conflict and cooperation. It is hoped that with the introduction of compulsory Aotearoa NZ Histories, a unit like this would not be needed in the future, but for now, this could be used, adapted, and grown to fit any teaching and learning programme within any of the kura in Te Tauihu. Alternatively, this could also be used and adapted to many other local rohe in Aotearoa that were also affected by these trends and events.

Ākonga can explore all of the Aotearoa NZ Histories Big ideas through this sequence of learning. They will develop understanding of the foundational and continuous history of our rohe, including of those who have mana whenua status today. They will explore colonisation and settlement - of Māori in our rohe, and of Pākehā to Aotearoa that influenced the change of warfare and movement of Māori throughout the Musket Wars and after. They will learn about mana and power and how it influenced these events shaping our history. And they will consider how relationships and connections between people were and are fundamental to the history of our rohe and more broadly Aotearoa as a whole, and how those relationships have changed over time. Ākonga can also practice all of the skills/practices or ‘Dos’ from the Aotearoa NZ Histories Curriculum in this sequence of learning, through many inquiry learning opportunities. 

Big Question

Who are the Tangata Whenua of Te Tau Ihu?

Key concepts

cause and effect      change      conflict      culture      diversity   
identity      interaction     mana whenua       migration       perspectives     
resources       rohe       Tangata Whenua   tūrangawaewae   whakapapa

Social inquiry questions 

Outline of possible sequence for teaching and learning

1. Te Tau Ihu o te waka a Māui

2. Māori in Te Tauihu

3. Context for change – ‘Musket Wars’

4. Hekenga and southern migrations (Te Heke Mai-i-raro) – How did North Island tribes come to settle in Te Tau Ihu before 1840?

5. Ngā iwi o Te Tauihu - The eight tangata whenua iwi of Te Tauihu

Next steps

You could go further with this sequence by going into greater depth in any number of areas covered (especially within the context of the Musket Wars), or by extending into, eg.

You could also incorporate local trips, eg. Whakatū marae (representing six of the eight iwi), other marae or significant places (geographical, events-based or wahi tapu). The Nelson Provincial Museum offers an education programme Ngā iwi o Te Tau Ihu.

*1 In my own practice, I included this teaching and learning sequence as part of a broader theme of learning about the making of Aotearoa.

*2 Since the completion of my sabbatical project, mana whenua iwi have provided local kura with a range of resources to be used in the teaching and learning of their histories. These taonga were launched at the Te Kāhui Mātauranga o Te Tauihu o te Waka a Māui Education Symposium ‘Kia wetewetea ko Māui ahau!’ in October 2022. Additional resources are in development.

*3 Following the completion of my sabbatical, and the development of this sequence of learning intended for Social Studies, we also decided to trial teaching and learning of the Musket Wars as a History unit. This required me to change the approach albeit using much of the same context. I have included the rough overview below in case it is useful; but note that as we trial it in our kura and as different teachers have input our end unit will likely differ significantly.

Possible framework for learning about the Musket Wars

1. Context

2. Event  - The Musket Wars

3. Consequences/ significance/ impact on people

Overall analysis – History is constructed and History is contested

You could explore the issue of names – many see the Musket Wars as problematic. What could a suitable alternative be? Are any of the other names more appropriate?

R Baird, Te Kura Tamawāhine o Whakatū | Nelson College for Girls, 2023.

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