Years 7-10
Strongest teaching range
Dual knowledge systems
Primary teaching fit
Teacher-only planning note
Set the tone carefully. Students should never be pushed to judge Māori knowledge against science as
if one must defeat the other. The purpose is comparison, complementarity, and respectful noticing.
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 worksheet explicitly asks students to identify tohu, explain what they signal, and connect
them to long-term environmental pattern noticing. That is a direct curriculum fit.
Mātauranga Māori
Observation
Ecosystem health
This is the clearest fit because the task is built around indigenous
environmental knowledge rather than adding it as a token afterthought.
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
The comparison table and reflection prompts ask students to move from a tohu to a prediction or
explanation. That keeps the work in evidence-based ecosystem reasoning, not just cultural recall.
Prediction
Ecosystem model
Local indicators
Useful when students are beginning to see how observations connect to
larger environmental patterns and future changes.
Aotearoa lens
This task works best when teachers treat local indicators as
place-based knowledge held in relationship with whenua, wai, and people, not as decontextualised
facts to collect.
How to use this resource well
If possible, connect the worksheet to local species, maramataka discussion, or whānau knowledge.
Even one local example can shift the page from generic content into genuinely Aotearoa-based
science learning.
Whakapapa
Respectful use
Place-based science
This keeps the task culturally coherent and stops it becoming an extractive
“interesting facts” activity.
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.