Awa Video — Week 3: Stormwater and Urban Runoff
Te Ara o te Wai Uaroa · Tracing the Stormwater Journey from Source to Awa · Years 7–9
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga · Learning Intentions
- Trace the path of stormwater from source to waterway, identifying where pollutants enter
- Distinguish between stormwater (untreated) and wastewater (treated) systems
- Identify pollutants commonly carried by stormwater and their effects on wai health
- Connect stormwater systems to our local awa and identify realistic community actions
Paearu Angitu · Success Criteria
- I can explain the difference between stormwater and wastewater treatment
- I can trace the stormwater journey from at least four stages (cloud to waterway)
- I can identify three pollutants that stormwater commonly carries
- I can suggest one thing our school or community could do to reduce stormwater pollution
I Mua i te Mātakitaki · Before-Viewing Questions
What is stormwater? Where do you think it goes when it rains?
What is the difference between a stormwater drain and a sewer/wastewater drain?
Te Ara o te Wai Uaroa · Stormwater Journey Diagram
Trace the stormwater journey. In each box, write what pollutants might be picked up at that stage and what the effect might be on the awa at the end.
Pollutants picked up: ___
Pollutants added: ___
What goes in: ___
Effect on wai: ___
Fertiliser, pesticides?
Sediment, chemicals?
Final impact on taiao
Add arrows showing the flow of water. Label any stormwater drains near your kura if you know where they are.
I te Mātakitaki · Viewing Grid
While watching, record what the video shows in each column.
| Pollutants carried by stormwater | Effects on wai / aquatic life | Solutions shown or mentioned |
|---|---|---|
Hononga ā-Rohe · Connection to Local Context
Where is the nearest stormwater drain to our kura? Where does it flow?
If someone poured paint down that drain, where would it end up? How long might it take?
Did we see evidence of stormwater discharge near our awa? What did it look like?
One action our class or school could take to reduce stormwater pollution:
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Understand Earth's water systems and how they are connected; investigate how urban land use affects stormwater flow and freshwater quality; evaluate the consequences of pollution for ecosystems and communities.
Understand how decisions about resource use affect communities; take informed action on local environmental issues; develop advocacy grounded in evidence about how systems work.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
In te ao Māori, water follows the land — it knows its path from the hills to the moana and carries everything it encounters on the way. This understanding of wai as a traveller and carrier is deeply embedded in mātauranga Māori. A rāhui or wāhi tapu designation near a waterway was often triggered precisely because people understood that pollution upstream would arrive downstream — it was not speculation, it was knowledge. The stormwater journey this video traces is the same journey kaitiaki have always known: everything we do on the land affects the wai, and what enters the wai eventually reaches the moana. Kaitiakitanga asks us to think about the whole journey, not just the drain outside our door.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
Resources already provided:
- Awa Video W1 Pollution (awa-video-w1-pollution.html) — types of pollution that stormwater carries
- Awa Video W2 pH (awa-video-w2-ph.html) — how stormwater changes pH of receiving waterways
- Awa Cause and Effect (awa-cause-effect.html) — use stormwater as a cause in the organiser
- Awa Observation Sheet (awa-observation-sheet.html) — look for stormwater evidence during fieldwork
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will explore awa (river/water) as taonga, developing understanding of kaitiakitanga through water guardianship — connecting indigenous environmental knowledge with scientific and civic action.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can explain the significance of awa in te ao Māori and their local community.
- ✅ Students can identify actions that reflect kaitiaki responsibilities for local waterways.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide sentence starters and graphic organisers for inquiry tasks. Offer entry-level observation activities and extension challenges involving community advocacy or environmental data analysis.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key te reo Māori terms (awa, kaitiaki, wāhi tapu, tūrangawaewae). Allow visual and diagrammatic responses. Bilingual glossaries strongly recommended.
Inclusion: Connect to students' own waterways and places of belonging. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured field investigation templates and clear step-by-step inquiry protocols.