Family Tree Exploration — Whakapapa · Years 7–10
Whakapapa is the Māori word for genealogy — the story of your family connections. But it means more than just a family tree! Whakapapa connects you to your ancestors, your land, and your identity.
In this activity, you'll explore your own family connections.
Extended family
Mother
Father
Grandmother / Elder woman
Grandfather / Elder man
Older sibling (same gender)
Younger sibling (same gender)
Ancestors
Grandchild
Great-Grandparents (Tūpuna)
Grandparents (Kuia & Koroua)
Parents (Mātua)
You & Siblings
Knowing your whakapapa helps you understand:
Your family might have come to Aotearoa from many different places — Polynesia, Europe, Asia, Africa, or elsewhere. Every family has a unique story worth exploring!
Ask a parent, grandparent, or elder these questions:
Find something special that connects you to your family (a photo, recipe, object, or story). Bring it to class to share.
Something I learned about my family:
Families come in all shapes and sizes. Some people live with grandparents, foster families, or one parent. Some don't know their birth family. Your whānau is the people who love and care for you.
Level 3–4: Apply number operations, statistical analysis, and mathematical reasoning to solve real-world problems; represent data using appropriate tools; interpret and communicate mathematical findings clearly.
Level 3–4: Understand how mathematical data and statistics are used to describe and analyse social, economic, and environmental patterns; recognise how data can reveal or obscure inequality.
Reflect on your learning. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
Mathematics has always been part of mātauranga Māori — in the navigation of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, in the architectural precision of wharenui, in the sophisticated storage and accounting systems of rua kūmara, and in the patterns of kōwhaiwhai and tukutuku that encode mathematical relationships in visual form. When Māori students engage with mathematics, they are not encountering something foreign: they are meeting a domain of knowledge that their tīpuna practised with extraordinary sophistication. Framing mathematical learning through whakapapa — connecting concepts to real Māori contexts — is not "cultural add-on" but recognition of where much mathematical knowledge lives in this land.
This handout is designed to be used alongside other resources in the same unit. Related materials are linked in the unit planner. All content is provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.
Students will engage with this resource to deepen understanding of Te Ao Māori — exploring whakapapa, tikanga, and cultural identity as living systems that shape who we are in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Scaffold support: Provide sentence starters, visual glossaries, or graphic organisers to give entry-level access for students who need additional support. Offer extension tasks that deepen cultural inquiry — for example, exploring local hapū histories or interviewing a kaumātua.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key kupu Māori (whakapapa, tikanga, mana, mauri) with bilingual glossaries where available. Allow students to respond in their home language as a bridge to English expression.
Inclusion: Use accessible formats — clear headings, adequate whitespace, chunked tasks. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured choice in how they demonstrate understanding (oral, visual, written). Acknowledge that students may hold personal connections to the cultural content.
Mātauranga Māori lens: This unit centres Te Ao Māori as a living knowledge system. Whakapapa is not merely genealogy but a relational framework linking people, place, and time. Tikanga grounds behaviour in kaupapa Māori principles. Approach content with aroha and manaakitanga.
Prior knowledge: No specialist prior knowledge required for entry-level engagement. Best used after relevant lesson sequences, or as a standalone introduction to cultural identity.