Traditional Architecture & Design · Years 7–10
Traditional Māori architecture is a blend of engineering, art, and spirituality. Every element of a wharenui (meeting house) or pā (fortified village) has both practical and cultural significance. The buildings tell stories of ancestors, iwi history, and connection to the land.
A wharenui represents a tupuna (ancestor) lying down with arms outstretched:
Carved panels tell stories of iwi history, ancestors, and supernatural beings. Each style is unique to its iwi.
Woven panels between carvings made by women, featuring geometric patterns with specific meanings.
Painted patterns on rafters, often featuring koru (spiral) designs representing growth and new life.
Preferred for carving — rot-resistant
Bulrush for thatching roofs
Flax for binding and weaving
Strong poles for framing
Pā were sophisticated defensive settlements:
European military engineers were impressed by pā design!
Research a famous wharenui and answer:
Design a modern building that incorporates traditional Māori design principles. Consider:
Sketch your design here
Level 3–4: Apply design thinking and artistic skills to communicate ideas and meaning; make informed choices about techniques, media, and presentation for specific purposes and audiences.
Level 3–4: Understand how arts and design reflect and shape cultural identity; recognise how Māori and Pacific artistic traditions carry knowledge, history, and cultural values.
Reflect on your learning. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
Māori artistic traditions — tā moko, kōwhaiwhai, tukutuku, whakairo, and kapa haka — are not simply aesthetic expressions: they are knowledge systems that encode whakapapa, tribal history, and cultural values in visual and performative form. The design choices made in Māori art are deliberate and meaningful, and the knowledge required to "read" them correctly is part of the mātauranga held by each iwi. When students engage with artistic design, they are participating in a form of communication that Māori practitioners have developed over centuries. Designing with cultural awareness means understanding that images, patterns, and forms carry obligations — especially when they draw on traditions that belong to others.
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.