Best for
Climate inquiry, te taiao units, local place-based studies, maramataka conversations, and mixed English-social studies-science programmes where students need to compare evidence sources.
Integrated inquiry • Climate evidence and tohu taiao • Years 8-12 • Ready to use tomorrow
Climate Science & Traditional Knowledge
Use this handout to help ākonga compare what climate data, local observation, and mātauranga Māori each reveal about environmental change in Aotearoa. The goal is not to flatten them into the same thing; it is to help students weigh evidence carefully and plan a grounded kaitiakitanga response.
Free climate scaffold, premium localisation path
This version is ready to print. If you want it rebuilt around your local awa, estuary, ngahere, coastal site, or rohe-specific seasonal knowledge, Te Wānanga can adapt the prompts while keeping the evidence comparison and mātauranga Māori integrity intact.
- Swap in a local dataset, local species, or a place your class already knows.
- Create junior support prompts or senior evidence-evaluation extensions.
- Save the adapted version and continue later in My Kete or Creation Studio.
Kaiako planning snapshot
- Use length: 35-60 minutes depending on whether students complete the final response plan.
- Grouping: Whole-class unpack first, then pairs or triads for the evidence mapping and response work.
- Prep: Bring one climate graph, local article, or place-based case study so students have a real context to anchor their notes.
- Teaching move: Say clearly that students must not invent iwi or hapū knowledge. Use local mātauranga only where it has been shared appropriately.
Resources already provided
- Dual-lens evidence comparison cards
- Climate evidence mapping table
- Prompted analysis questions
- Kaitiakitanga response planner
- Curriculum companion for teacher planning clarity
If the lesson mentions graphs, observations, local response, or evidence comparison, those scaffolds are already on the page.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions
- We are learning how climate science and mātauranga Māori can both inform environmental understanding.
- We are learning to compare what different evidence sources show well and what they do not show on their own.
- We are learning to plan a kaitiakitanga response grounded in place and evidence.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can describe at least two useful evidence sources for understanding climate change in a place.
- I can explain one caution or limit about the evidence I am using.
- I can propose one realistic response that fits the place and the evidence.
Curriculum integration / Te Marautanga alignment
Use the linked curriculum companion to make the maramataka, environmental language, evidence comparison, and place-based inquiry progression visible in teacher planning.
Keep the integration honest
Mātauranga Māori is not a decorative add-on to climate science, and climate science is not the only way people notice change. Students should compare what each lens helps them understand while staying careful, local, and respectful.
What each evidence lens can show
Climate science can help us notice
- Long-term temperature, rainfall, and sea-level trends
- Rate of change across time
- Comparison between regions or datasets
- Forecasts and scenario planning
Graphs
Measurements
Mātauranga Māori can help us notice
- Relationships between seasons, species, weather, and place
- How change affects mauri and customary practice
- What local people have observed over time
- Why a response should fit the rohe, not just the statistic
Tohu taiao
Maramataka
Teacher safeguard before students begin
Kaua e whakaarohia rawatia
Do not ask students to speak for iwi, hapū, or local knowledge they do not hold. If local voices are available, name them accurately and treat them with mana. If not, keep the task at the level of careful comparison and respectful inquiry.
Evidence mapping table
| Evidence source | What it can show clearly | What I still need to ask or check |
|---|---|---|
| Climate graph or dataset Temperature, rainfall, storm, or coastal trend |
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| Tohu taiao or seasonal sign Flowering time, bird behaviour, river clarity, tide pattern |
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| Local observation What students or whānau notice at a familiar site |
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| Community voice Article, interview, or authorised local knowledge |
Task 1: Notice the shift
One change I can name from the data is:
One place-based sign or observation that matters is:
Why should we be cautious before making a big claim?
Task 2: Weigh the evidence
What does the data help me say with confidence?
What does local or cultural knowledge help me understand more deeply?
Low-floor option: use sentence starters such as “The graph suggests…” and “The local observation adds…”. Stretch option: name a limitation in both sources.
Task 3: Plan a kaitiakitanga response
What needs attention?
Name the place, species, or environmental process that seems most affected.
Who should be involved?
List the people, groups, or experts who should shape the response.
One realistic next step
Describe one action your class, kura, or local community could take that matches the evidence rather than jumping straight to a generic answer.
Support, core, and stretch pathway
Support
Use one dataset and one local observation only. Highlight the sentence starter that best fits each answer before writing.
Core
Compare two evidence sources, explain one caution, and justify one local action.
Stretch
Evaluate which missing evidence would most strengthen the response and explain why.
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Social Sciences — Tikanga ā-Iwi
Level 3–4: Investigate social, cultural, environmental, and economic questions; gather and evaluate evidence from diverse sources; communicate findings and reasoning clearly for different audiences and purposes.
English — Communication
Level 3–4: Read, interpret, and evaluate information texts; write clearly and purposefully for specific audiences; apply critical thinking skills to evaluate sources and construct well-reasoned responses.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
This resource sits within a kaupapa that recognises mātauranga Māori as a living knowledge system with its own frameworks, values, and ways of understanding the world. The New Zealand Curriculum calls for learning that reflects the bicultural partnership of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which means every subject area has an obligation to engage authentically with Māori perspectives — not as cultural decoration but as substantive contributions to how we understand our topics. The concepts of manaakitanga (care for others), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whanaungatanga (relationship and belonging), and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) provide a values framework applicable across all learning areas, and all are relevant to the work in this handout.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Resources already provided
- All referenced resources are provided alongside this handout in the Te Kete Ako collection.
- For related materials, use the search or browse by unit in Te Kete Ako.