Years 7-10
Strongest teaching range
Seasonal ecological knowledge
Primary teaching fit
Teacher-only planning note
Maramataka is iwi-specific and regionally variable — what applies in Waikato differs from what
applies in Otago or Te Tai Tokerau. Before students create their own maramataka, establish with
your local iwi or kaumātua contact which aspects of maramataka observation are appropriate to
share and how. Do not treat this as a generic Māori lunar calendar; treat it as a specific,
living knowledge system that belongs to the people of the rohe. That positioning is both
culturally correct and scientifically more interesting — local specificity is exactly what makes
ecological observation valuable.
Strong fit
SCIENCE-5de489ecf9: Indigenous knowledge systems, such as
mātauranga Māori, are often founded on long-term observations of environmental patterns. For
example, ngā tohu o te taiao can be used to monitor seasonal changes and ecosystem health.
How this handout aligns
The maramataka is the clearest example in Aotearoa of a long-term environmental observation
system. Students creating their own version are building a structured record of seasonal
ecological signals — exactly the practice this curriculum statement describes. Connecting the
maramataka entries to specific ecosystem health indicators (bird calls, plant flowering,
water clarity) makes the activity scientifically substantial.
Long-term observation
Ngā tohu o te taiao
Ecosystem health
This is the primary curriculum fit because the maramataka is the
most direct expression of mātauranga Māori as environmental monitoring science.
Strong fit
SCIENCE-502f4d6974: Observing local ngā tohu o te taiao, such as
flowering of certain plants or bird migrations, and explaining why these indicators can be used
to understand and predict other environmental changes using an ecosystem model.
How this handout aligns
Each maramataka entry that students create should include both the observation (what changes)
and the explanation (what that change signals about the ecosystem). That second step — the
explanation — is what converts an observation calendar into an ecosystem model and satisfies
the "explaining why" requirement in this curriculum statement.
Environmental indicators
Ecosystem model
Prediction
Useful for keeping the creation task connected to scientific
reasoning rather than stopping at cultural decoration.
Aotearoa lens
A maramataka that students create themselves, grounded in local
observation and informed by kaumātua guidance, is more valuable than a generic template. The
act of sustained local observation — noticing, recording, connecting — is itself a form of
kaitiakitanga.
How to use this resource well
Require students to make at least one observation per week from Week 2 onward and add it
to their maramataka. By Week 5, they should have a genuine local record, not just a filled
template. That ongoing observation practice is where the most important learning happens —
the calendar is the documentation, not the product.
Sustained observation
Local record
Kaitiakitanga practice
This produces a document that has genuine community value and avoids
the common problem of maramataka activities that are completed in one lesson and never used
again.
Puna Kōrero — Sources
Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Learning Media.
Ministry of Education. (2021). Te Mātaiaho: The Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. Ministry of Education.
Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. (2021). Tātaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Māori Learners. Teaching Council.