Whakapapa Map Template
Whakapapa Map Template · Years 7–10
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga · Learning Intentions
- Understand and apply key concepts from te ao Māori to learning and life
- Engage with te reo Māori vocabulary and cultural frameworks with accuracy and respect
- Connect Māori values and concepts to contemporary issues and personal identity
- Recognise the significance of Māori cultural knowledge as a living, relevant system
Paearu Angitu · Success Criteria
- I can explain at least three te ao Māori concepts accurately in my own words
- I use te reo Māori vocabulary with correct meaning and appropriate context
- I can connect a Māori concept to a real contemporary situation or personal experience
- My engagement with this material demonstrates genuine curiosity and cultural respect
About Whakapapa
Whakapapa is the layering of relationships — the connections between people, places, ancestors, and the natural world. It is more than a family tree: it is a framework for understanding identity, belonging, and responsibility. Use this template to map connections that matter to you.
Note: Only share what you are comfortable sharing. You may keep parts of this private. Whakapapa is tapu — treat it with care and respect.
Section 1 — Ko Wai Au (Who Am I)
Ingoa / My name:
My place of birth or home:
Languages I speak or am connected to:
Cultural groups or identities I belong to:
Section 2 — Whakapapa Map (draw or write)
Place yourself in the centre. Draw lines to connect parents, grandparents, and key people, places, and communities. You may use symbols, te reo Māori, or any language.
Section 3 — Ngā Hononga (Connections)
A person, place, or community that is important in my whakapapa, and why:
Something I have learned from my connections (a value, a story, a skill):
A question about my own whakapapa I would like to explore further:
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Level 3–4: Understand how Māori cultural practices, values, and whakapapa shape identity and community; recognise the significance of te Tiriti o Waitangi and the contribution of Māori culture to Aotearoa New Zealand's national identity.
Level 3–4: Use te reo Māori to express cultural concepts, identity, and relationships with accuracy and respect; understand the significance of Māori language as a taonga and its role in sustaining mātauranga Māori.
Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts
Reflect on your learning. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
This resource engages directly with te ao Māori as its subject — the values, practices, language, and worldview that have sustained Māori communities across centuries of challenge and change. Mātauranga Māori is not a supplement to this learning: it is the source. Students approaching this material are invited to engage with it not as outside observers studying a foreign culture, but as people in relationship with a living knowledge tradition that shapes the place they live, the language they may speak, and the obligations they carry as tāngata o Aotearoa — people of this land.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Resources already provided
- Te ao Māori concepts glossary — key terms and their meanings
- Whakapapa framework — for understanding relationships and connections
- Contemporary application guide — connecting traditional concepts to modern contexts