Best for
Week 1 environmental inquiry — audit walks, site mapping, issue identification, and initial problem selection for the action project.
Environmental Mātauranga • Unit 9 Week 1 • Years 7–10 • Ready to use
Environmental Audit Guide
Walk your school or community with kaitiaki eyes. Identify real environmental issues that your group could realistically address through the unit action project.
Free audit tool, premium localisation path
If you want a kura-specific audit tailored to your local environment — including iwi-relevant indicators and council regulations — Te Wānanga and Creation Studio can localise it for your context.
- Adapt categories to match your specific local environment.
- Add photos, GPS coordinates, and formal reporting for real council submissions.
- Save your group's audit data in My Kete for reference across the unit.
Kaiako planning snapshot
- Use length: 45–60 minutes (including audit walk).
- Grouping: Groups of 3–4, each covering one area of the school or community.
- Prep: Map out the audit zone, confirm safety protocols, and brief students on respectful observation.
- Differentiation: Support learners can use a simplified tick-box version; stretch learners can estimate scale of impact and link to wider environmental data.
- Neurodiversity support: Provide a clear walk-sequence map so ākonga know exactly where to go and in what order. Use physical movement to keep engagement high.
Resources already provided
- Structured audit categories — water, waste, biodiversity, energy, air
- Observation recording spaces for each issue area
- Priority ranking and reflection questions
- Entry, on-level, and extension pathway prompts
- Teacher-only curriculum companion available
All referenced resources are provided. Pair this with the Problem Ranking Cards to move from audit findings to project focus selection.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions
- We are learning to identify real environmental issues in our local taiao.
- We are learning to observe with both scientific and mātauranga Māori eyes.
- We are learning to connect what we see to the responsibilities of kaitiakitanga.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can name at least three specific environmental issues I observed.
- I can explain why each issue matters for the health of the environment.
- I can suggest which issue our group could realistically take action on.
Curriculum integration / Te Marautanga alignment
This audit sits within the Social Sciences and Science learning areas, connecting student agency, local inquiry, and environmental kaitiakitanga to the NZ Curriculum.
Why this matters in Aotearoa
Through a mātauranga Māori lens, the environment is not a resource to be managed but a relative to be cared for. Kaitiakitanga requires observation before action — knowing what is broken is the first act of guardianship. This audit is that first step.
Group information
Group members:
Area(s) surveyed:
Wai — Water issues
Check for leaking taps, polluted or murky water sources, poor drainage, or water waste.
Observations:
Para — Waste issues
Look for litter, overflowing bins, recyclables in the wrong place, and missing compost systems.
Observations:
Taiao Rauropi — Biodiversity issues
Note the absence of native species, presence of invasive weeds, poor habitat quality, or degraded soil.
Observations:
Hiko / Hauhunga — Energy and air quality
Lights on in empty rooms, poor ventilation, vehicle idling, visible emissions or pollution.
Observations:
Issue prioritisation
Choose your top issue based on impact, feasibility, group interest, and connection to mātauranga Māori.
Our top priority issue (and why):
Possible actions we could take:
How kaumātua or traditional knowledge might help:
Reflection
Complete after the audit walk.
What surprised you most during the audit?
Which issue do you think your group can make the biggest difference on?
Entry, on-level, and extension pathway
Entry
Tick what you see. Circle the one issue that looks most urgent to you. Share orally with your group.
On-level
Record specific observations and prioritise based on impact and feasibility. Connect to kaitiakitanga.
Extension
Estimate scale of each issue. Research whether similar issues exist in the wider community. Propose a measurable goal for the action project.
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Social Sciences — Ecological Sustainability
Level 3–4: investigate local environmental issues; understand that communities have responsibilities to protect the environment for future generations; develop the skills to take informed, responsible action.
Science — Living World / Planet Earth
Level 3–4: observe and describe patterns in the local environment; connect scientific observation to environmental decision-making; understand that human activity affects ecosystems and that this impact can be reduced through careful stewardship.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
In te ao Māori, kaitiakitanga begins with observation — knowing your environment so well that you can see when something is wrong. The concept of tohu (signs from the natural world) reflects this: a healthy environment sends signals that those with knowledge can read. A river with tuna (eels) and kākahi (freshwater mussels) is a healthy river. A forest with tūī and kererū is a thriving forest. Before scientific measurement tools existed, Māori communities maintained detailed ecological knowledge passed down through whakapapa — who was responsible for which part of the taiao, and how to read the signs of health or stress.
The audit you are conducting is a modern expression of this same responsibility. Naming what is broken is the first act of kaitiakitanga. You cannot protect what you cannot see, and you cannot see what you have not been taught to notice. This handout teaches you to notice.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
Resources already provided:
- This handout — complete during the Week 1 environmental investigation
- Environmental Detective Checklist (unit-9-week1-environmental-detective-checklist.html) — detailed observation prompts for each audit category
- Problem Ranking Cards (unit-9-week1-problem-ranking-cards.html) — prioritise audit findings for the action project
- Kaumātua Interview Guide (unit-9-week1-kaumatua-interview-guide.html) — gather traditional knowledge about your local environment
- Project Planning Template (unit-9-week1-project-planning-template.html) — plan your group's action response