Best for
Extended Unit 5 inquiry, comparative research tasks, seminar preparation, or summative portfolio work.
Unit 5 inquiry project • Years 10-13 • Comparative movement study
Exploring Global Indigenous Solidarity Networks
This guided inquiry asks you to compare Indigenous movements and the solidarity networks around them. The challenge is to move beyond “they are all resisting colonialism” into sharper questions about strategy, context, leadership, and what Aotearoa can learn from those connections.
Free inquiry project, premium adaptation path
This version is ready for class use. Te Wānanga becomes useful when you want a shorter inquiry, specific case-study packs, or differentiated checkpoints for diverse learners.
- Generate a two-case comparison version for faster timelines.
- Create a Pacific or climate-justice-specific inquiry track.
- Save inquiry checkpoints into My Kete and refine them in Creation Studio.
Kaiako planning snapshot
- Use length: 2-4 lessons of inquiry time plus checkpoints.
- Grouping: Independent or pairs. Pairs must share roles clearly.
- Prep: Provide a shortlist of credible movements, sources, and success models.
- Teaching move: Keep the inquiry question visible. Students drift when they collect facts without a claim to test.
- Support / stretch: Support with pre-selected case studies; stretch with three-case comparison and implications for policy or action.
Resources already provided
- Question framing and case-study selection prompts
- Evidence, comparison, and synthesis spaces
- Action and implication prompts for Aotearoa
- Student print fields and structured response areas
- Teacher-only curriculum companion
Insist on evidence that includes Indigenous-led voices, not only external reporting about them.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions
- We are learning how to build a comparative inquiry about Indigenous solidarity networks.
- We are learning how to use evidence to identify both patterns and differences across movements.
- We are learning how to draw implications for action in Aotearoa from international case studies.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can frame a clear inquiry question.
- I can compare at least two cases using evidence and context.
- I can explain what Aotearoa might learn without pretending every case is identical.
Curriculum integration / Te Marautanga alignment
The companion page makes the curriculum fit explicit across inquiry, systems analysis, social participation, and critical comparison.
Mātauranga Māori inquiry note
Use mātauranga Māori as a relational lens for the inquiry. Ask how tikanga, whanaungatanga, mana, and collective responsibility shape the way movements act and the way solidarity should be offered.
My inquiry question
Why this question matters
1
Select cases
Which movements or communities will I compare, and why are they useful together?
2
Gather evidence
What sources will I trust, and how will I make sure Indigenous perspectives are present?
3
Make a claim
What am I arguing about solidarity, strategy, or what Aotearoa can learn?
Case-study comparison table
| Case | Main issue | Key strategy | What solidarity looked like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case 1 | |||
| Case 2 | |||
| Case 3 |
Patterns I can defend with evidence
Differences that change the analysis
What this means for Aotearoa
Best next step for further inquiry or action
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.
Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts
Reflect on what you have learned today. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
This handout is designed to be used alongside the broader unit resources available at Te Kete Ako handouts library. Related resources from the same unit are linked in the unit planner. All resources are provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will investigate global indigenous solidarity movements through a historical lens, using whakapapa of resistance to trace how communities have organised across borders to assert tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake. This unit connects Aotearoa's struggle for sovereignty to broader international movements for indigenous rights and decolonisation.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ I can analyse and compare perspectives from multiple indigenous resistance movements globally.
- ✅ I can explain how solidarity across difference has strengthened indigenous rights campaigns.
- ✅ I can evaluate the significance of international indigenous solidarity for Aotearoa New Zealand.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide graphic organisers for comparing movements. Entry-level tasks focus on identifying key events; extension tasks require evaluating the effectiveness of solidarity strategies and writing a persuasive historical argument.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key historical terms (sovereignty, solidarity, colonisation, decolonisation). Provide bilingual glossaries where available; allow discussion in home language first.
Inclusion: Use structured note-taking templates and chunked readings. Neurodiverse learners benefit from visual timelines and choice in how they demonstrate understanding — oral, visual, or written formats all valid. Ensure content is presented sensitively given the potential for personal connection to histories of dispossession.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Centre whakapapa as a methodology — tracing the genealogy of resistance ideas across cultures and time. Frame the hīkoi as both a political act and a cultural expression of rangatiratanga. Connect to the whakataukī: "He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata."
Prior knowledge: Best used after foundational study of colonisation and the Treaty of Waitangi. Familiarity with basic historical inquiry skills is recommended.
Curriculum alignment
- Social Studies — Understanding: Students understand that historical and contemporary events reflect the perspectives and interests of those involved and their significance for different groups.
- Social Studies — Understanding: Students understand how the Treaty of Waitangi has shaped New Zealand society and the ongoing significance of indigenous rights.