Community Solutions Case-Study Worksheet
Community Solutions · Antarctica unit, Lesson 5 · Years 9–10
Real Solutions, Close to Home
Part A: analyse a real case study → Part B: make Antarctica's story known
We can't go to Antarctica to fix the ice — but communities here are already acting as kaitiaki, and their mahi draws down the same carbon that's warming the Southern Ocean. In Lesson 5 you used Part A to analyse one real Aotearoa solution, then Part B to plan a piece that makes that connection known to others.
Your Marking Key — The Kaitiaki Lens
Use these three questions to judge any solution. Keep them in front of you for Part A.
Part A · Analyse a Real Case Study — He Tātaritanga Tauira
Choose one real Aotearoa solution (Predator Free, harbour or mangrove restoration, regenerative farming — or one from your own rohe). Answer with specific detail, not general statements.
Case study chosen:
He aha? — What is the solution, and how does it work ecologically?
What does it actually do to a place — and what's the science of why it helps (e.g. forest regrows → stores carbon)?
He aha te tohu? — What evidence shows it is working?
Numbers, recoveries, species returning, volunteers, carbon stored — be specific, not "it helps the environment."
Ko wai? — Who in the community leads it? Are iwi or hapū genuine partners, or just consulted?
The kaitiaki lens — which principle is strongest, and which is weakest?
Whanaungatanga / tiakitanga / utu. Name the strongest with evidence, and one the solution could do better.
Mitigation, adaptation, or both?
Does it reduce emissions / draw down carbon (mitigation), build resilience to change already coming (adaptation), or both?
Back to the ice — how does this local mahi connect to the warming of Antarctica?
Think carbon cycle: what does this solution do to the CO₂ that warms the Southern Ocean?
Part B · Make It Known — Kia Mōhio ai te Iwi
Now plan a short awareness piece. It names how Antarctica is being affected by climate change, and points to a real local response someone here could join. Keep it accurate — a true message beats a dramatic one.
1. My one Antarctica message — Te Karere
One true sentence about Antarctica's plight. e.g. "The ice we thought was safe is breaking up faster than the models predicted."
2. The local response it points to — Te Whakautu ā-Rohe
A real case study from class that draws down carbon here — and a one-line "how to join in."
3. The link — Te Hononga
In one line: local mahi → the carbon system → the ice. Make the connection clear.
4. The form — Te Āhua
Poster, social tile, 30-second script, spoken piece? Pick one.
5. The audience — Mā Wai?
Who is it for — your school, whānau, community, council? Aim it at someone real.
6. Rough draft or sketch — Te Tauira
A quick sketch of the poster, or the words of the script. The thinking matters more than the polish today.
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Science — Ecosystems (Phase 4 | Years 9–10)
"Researching interventions that address specific ecosystem disruptions, using case studies or local examples to explore the practicalities and outcomes of different solutions (e.g. conservation strategies, sustainable technologies)."
Quoted verbatim from this unit's verified Te Mātaiaho alignment. Part A has ākonga research the practicalities and outcomes of a real intervention; Part B turns that understanding into an awareness piece.
🪶 He Kupu Kaitiaki
The kaitiakitanga lens here uses the public, widely-taught meanings of whanaungatanga, tiakitanga and utu — it is not iwi-specific or sacred knowledge. If your case study touches a particular place, awa or moana, seek out the mana whenua of that place and let their understanding lead. A solution that acts as a kaitiaki begins by listening.