Sustainable Energy Systems · Years 7–10
Fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) release greenhouse gases that cause climate change. They're also running out. Renewable energy comes from sources that naturally replenish — sun, wind, water, and Earth's heat.
Aotearoa is a world leader in renewable energy!
of NZ electricity is renewable
renewable target by 2030
from geothermal (unique!)
Water flows through dams, spinning turbines to generate electricity. NZ's largest source (~60% of power).
Heat from deep underground turns water to steam, spinning turbines. NZ has lots due to volcanic activity!
Wind turns large turbine blades, generating electricity. Growing fast in NZ!
Solar panels convert sunlight directly into electricity. Great for homes and businesses.
Traditional Māori practices already embodied sustainability principles:
Look around your home or school. List 5 things that use electricity:
Design a home that uses 100% renewable energy. What systems would you include?
My renewable home design:
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.
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.
Reflect on your learning. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
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.
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 build understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand's ecosystems, biodiversity, and the role of kaitiakitanga in environmental stewardship.
Scaffold support: Provide sentence starters, word banks, or graphic organisers to scaffold access for students who need it. Offer entry-level and extension tasks to address a range of readiness levels.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key vocabulary and provide bilingual glossaries where available. Allow students to respond in their home language first.
Inclusion: Use accessible formats — clear font, adequate whitespace, structured tasks. Neurodiverse learners benefit from chunked instructions and choice in how they demonstrate understanding.
Prior knowledge: Best used after the relevant lesson sequence. No specialist prior knowledge required for entry-level engagement.