Māori history in the New Zealand Curriculum

The concept that Māori history is the foundational and continuous history of Aotearoa New Zealand is the first of the four ‘big ideas’ that underpin learning within the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum. The curriculum document explains: 

Opportunities for ākonga to place themselves within the broad historical past helps to shape their sense of identity and citizenship. Through such opportunities, they come to understand how they and their ancestors came to be here and the part they themselves play in shaping our future. There is no part of Aotearoa that does not connect to whānau, hapū, or iwi. For this reason, every New Zealander needs to understand and engage with the histories of tangata whenua if we are to understand ourselves and our part in the world. 

The process of co-constructing understandings of Māori history requires schools to build productive and enduring partnerships with their local whānau, hapū, and iwi. Through these partnerships, schools can give better effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi as specified in the Education and Training Act 2020. Schools can also work towards the guiding principles and outcome domains of Ka Hikitia and the goals of Tau Mai te Reo. (See the Leading Local Curriculum guides on Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories for further discussion and support.) 

New Zealand history in social sciences 

The inclusion of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories within the social sciences curriculum reflects our nation’s recognition that ākonga have a right and a need to know how our histories have shaped our present day lives – and to reflect upon how their own stories will impact upon those of people in the future.  

The Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum includes a strong focus on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the importance of recognising that Māori history is the foundational and continuous history of Aotearoa New Zealand. This resource provides information, resources, and guidance to help you make this big idea an integral part of your teaching programme. It makes connections with the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum, by referencing aligning with the progressions model and its use of the Understand, Know, and Do elements.  

Connections with NELP  

Māori History in the New Zealand Curriculum supports teachers, schools, and kura to address several of the objectives, priorities, and actions described in the National Education and Learning Priorities, particularly the following: 

• Expect and support kaiako (teachers) to build their understanding of ākonga (learners') contexts, including languages spoken at home, histories, stories, and cultural values, to provide culturally responsive teaching. 
• Build relationships with Māori, involve them in decision making, and partner with them to support rangatiratanga, and Māori educational success as Māori.
• Expect and support kaiako (teachers) to build their understanding of learners’/ākonga contexts, including languages spoken at home, histories, stories, and cultural values, to provide culturally responsive teaching. 

Video stories and perspectives 

These videos provide insights into what we mean by “Māori history”, as well as touching on some of the “why” and the “how”.  Key ideas and prompts to spark professional learning conversations are included.

How should we teach Māori history? 

Māori history needs to be taught within the framing of the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum as part of the social sciences learning area of The New Zealand Curriculum. This section provides: 

• an overview of the curriculum’s Understand, Know, and Do elements and progressions model 
• links to resources to help you get started, including purpose-made video stories and perspectives from iwi historians and teachers  

Important considerations when teaching social sciences

Because important issues for society change frequently, it is important to regularly review topic selection. Selecting meaningful topics is critical if ākonga are to deepen their understanding of social sciences’ big ideas and be able to apply them to both familiar and new situations. These topics often require an investigation of the past. Teachers can ask the following questions to support their decision-making: 

• How will the topic help ākonga to explore the Understand big ideas: the history of Māori, the impact of colonisation, the power people and groups hold, the interactions that shape people’s experiences and rights, how people form communities and society, and the multiple perspectives they bring? 
• How will the topic draw on diverse examples across time and place so that ākonga develop their conceptual understandings by exploring their world and the world beyond (case studies and comparisons)?  
• How will the topic draw on stories from communities, iwi and hapū in the rohe? 
• How will the topic support research into enduring societal issues in the rohe, the local area, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the world? 
• How will this topic support ākonga to progress their learning to new and more complex contexts? 

Developing rich and sometimes provocative questions about society supports the development of thinking and imagining as young citizens. Teachers can ask the following questions when developing a social sciences inquiry question and when supporting ākonga to develop their own questions. Does each question: 

• help identify the concepts you want to explore in the topic? 
• invite the exploration of multiple perspectives held by people or groups? 
• have enough depth that makes it worthy of exploration and progress in their learning? 

Teachers support ākonga to develop their critical thinking and literacy skills to support argumentation and reasoning, to evaluate the integrity of sources and claims, and to identify and critique possible solutions to social issues. Questions to ask: 

• What depth of knowledge is required for ākonga to develop higher level reasoning? 
• What opportunities are there for ākonga to consider the quality of the evidence they are drawing on? 
• What opportunities are there for ākonga to weigh different points of view and discuss possible solutions? 
• What opportunities are there for ākonga to take action or contribute to that of others? 
• How will these opportunities support progress? 

The Understand, Know, and Do elements  

There are three elements to the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories content: Understand, Know, and Do. The elements are not separate or sequential. Kaiako weave them together so that student learning is deep and meaningful. The three elements are interwoven and come together as progress outcomes at each of the five phases of learning progression.  

Understand 

Four big ideas form the Understand element of the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum. Although the big ideas don’t change across year levels, ākonga gradually deepen their understanding of them as they grow their knowledge of national, rohe, and local contexts and develop their use of inquiry practices. 

Māori history engages ākonga with the big idea that Māori history is the foundational and continuous history of Aotearoa New Zealand. Learning Māori history, also provides a natural context for constructing learning around the three other big ideas: 

• Colonisation and settlement have been central to Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories for the past 200 years. 
• The course of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories has been shaped by the use of power. 
• Relationships and connections between people and across boundaries have shaped the course of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories. 

Know  

The Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum invites knowledge-building within national, local, and rohe contexts. These contexts are made up of stories about events, people, the land, and how they interact. As ākonga move through schooling, they gain richer understandings of the big ideas through engaging with new and more complex contexts. 

The prescribed contexts describe the expected learning for all ākonga across Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Rohe contexts are defined by iwi and hapū and are guided by the question, “What stories do local iwi and hapū share about the history of the people of this rohe?” 

Local contexts include histories that are important to local communities and ākonga. 

There are four prescribed contexts: 

Whakapapa me te whanaungatanga │ Culture and identity

This context focuses on how the past shapes who we are today – our familial links and bonds, our networks and connections, our sense of obligation, and the stories woven into our collective and diverse identities. 

Tino rangatiratanga me te kāwanatanga │ Government and organisation 

This context focuses on the history of authority and control, and the contests over them. At the heart of these contests are the authorities guaranteed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi. This context also considers the history of the relationships between government agencies and the people who lived here and in the Pacific. 

Tūrangawaewae me te kaitiakitanga │ Place and environment 

This context focuses on the relationships of individuals, groups, and communities with the land, water, and resources, and on the history of contests over their control, use, and protection. 

Kōwhiringa ohaoha me te whai oranga │ Economic activity

This context focuses on the choices people made to meet their needs and wants, how they made a living individually and collectively, and the resulting exchanges and interconnections. 

Do  

The Do element of teaching and learning within the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum involves developing and using the following inquiry practices:  

Identifying and exploring historical relationships

The construction of narratives about the past is based on the ability to sequence events and changes and to identify historical relationships between them and how long ago they happened. Depending on who is telling the story, the same story can be told in different ways. 

Identifying sources and perspectives

Drawing on a broad base of historical sources, in varied forms, provides a fuller and layered understanding of the past. This includes paying deliberate attention to mātauranga Māori sources and approaches. When drawing evidence from sources, it is important to consider authorship and purpose and to identify voices that are missing. 

Interpreting past experiences, decisions, and actions

Interpretations of people’s past experiences, decisions, and actions need to take account of the attitudes and values of the time and people’s predicaments and points of view. By using these interpretations and reflecting on our own values, we can make evidence-based ethical judgements about the past. 

Progressions model  

In the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum, the current curriculum levels have been replaced with phases of learning in a progressions model, and progress outcomes have replaced the achievement objectives. 

This progressions model gives clarity about the direction of learning and the key outcomes that matter across the phases, enabling kaiako, ākonga, whānau, mana whenua, and communities to know what is important and how learning develops. It ‘chunks’ the learning so that the progress described in The 2007 New Zealand Curriculum is easily seen. 

The progressions model covers five phases of learning throughout schooling: years 1–3, years 4–6, years 7–8, years 9–10, and years 11–13. The content for Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories covers the first four phases of learning – until year 10. 

The Understand, Know, and Do elements come together as progress outcomes for each phase of learning. The progress outcomes describe the depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding required for ākonga, and the sophistication of their use of practices. 

Integrating Māori history into your local curriculum  

The following videos provide insights into how you might integrate “Māori history” into your local curriculum and why this is so important. Key ideas and prompts to spark professional learning conversations to get you started on this journey are included. 

Engaging with the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum

Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum  

Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories website is the home to the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum content, guidance, and resources. It provides a wealth of information on how to get started with implementing Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories. This includes a curriculum content overview that describes what ākonga should have opportunities to Know, Understand, and Do at each of the five phases of learning progression.  There is a growing collection of teaching resources that can be searched by year level, type of resource, and learning context. 

Leading local curriculum guides on Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories  

The Leading local curriculum guides on Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories explore the foundational and key capabilities for engaging with the new curriculum and provide advice and strategies to support its implementation in schools.  

Leading local curriculum guide – Part 1 supports leaders to work with kaiako to: 

• increase knowledge of national and local histories and grow critical inquiry skills 
• build productive partnerships with whānau, hapū, and iwi 
• review their social sciences teaching and learning programme for years 1–10 and start identifying ways to strengthen Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories. 

Leading local curriculum guide – Part 2 supports leaders to work with kaiako to: 

• examine the Understand, Know, and Do elements of the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum and how to weave them together to develop rich learning opportunities 
• review their social sciences programmes to include Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories
• look after everyone’s wellbeing when learning about the past. 

Te Takanga o te Wā – Māori History Guidelines Year 1–8  

Te Takanga o te Wā (English) offers a framework to explore Māori history with your ākonga. It emphasises the importance of collaborative engagement with local iwi and hapū and of making connections with the stories and histories relating to your school’s geographic location. It aims to instil a deeper sense of personal identity and belonging for every ākonga through opportunities to explore five themes: Whakapapa, Tūrangawaewae, Mana Motuhake, Kaitiakitanga, and Whanaungatanga. 

The resources section on page 18 suggests approaches to teaching and learning that utilise the suggestions in Te Takanga o te Wā. 

See Materials that come with this resource to download Te Takanga o te Wā (English) (.pdf).

Other resource links  

• Te Ahu o te Reo Māori  
  Studying and teaching Māori history requires a base knowledge of te reo and mātauranga Māori. Te Ahu o te Reo Māori is a programme that develops teacher competency in te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and improved understanding of local narratives. 
• Education Counts | Effective Pedagogy in Social Sciences: Tikanga ā Iwi: BES  
  This resource remains our best source of evidence for effective teaching in the social sciences. It describes four mechanisms for designing effective programmes: make connections to learners’ lives, design experiences that interest learners, build and sustain a learning community, and align experiences to important outcomes. 
• Teaching Council of Aotearoa NZ | Tātaiako: Cultural competencies for teachers of Māori learners  
  Tātaiako provides a starting point for understanding and developing five cultural competencies: wānanga, whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, tangata whenuatanga, and ako.  
• NZCER | What is a social inquiry? Crafting questions that lead to deeper knowledge about society and citizenship   
  Bronwyn Wood clarifies what a social inquiry is, to examine its origins within the social sciences, and to consider the contribution it can make to inquiry learning. The article concludes by suggesting ways social inquiry questions could be crafted to support informational and transformational citizenship outcomes for social sciences ākonga.