Economic Justice: Documentary Companion
Before, during, and after-viewing activities for a documentary about economic inequality or justice
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga · Learning Intentions
- We are learning to extract key claims and evidence from a documentary.
- We are learning to identify who benefits and who is disadvantaged in economic systems.
- We are learning to synthesise ideas from a documentary into our own thinking.
Paearu Angitu · Success Criteria
- I can identify at least three key claims from the documentary with evidence that supports each one.
- I can explain who the documentary shows as benefiting from or being hurt by economic inequality.
- I can identify what changed in my thinking after watching and name one question I still have.
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
This companion worksheet supports viewing of documentary media within the Social Sciences learning area of Te Mātaiaho.
- Social Sciences / Ākona Pāpori: Students investigate how economic systems distribute resources and affect wellbeing (Level 3–4). They critically engage with media that presents economic information and argument.
- Literacy: Students engage with an audio-visual text at comprehension and critical levels — identifying claims, evidence, and perspective.
- Unit 4 — Ōhanga me te Tika: Documentary evidence of economic inequality connects the abstract concepts of the unit to real human experiences.
Whakaaro Tuatahi · First Thoughts
Before you watch the documentary, answer these questions to activate your prior knowledge.
1. What do you think "economic justice" means? Write your best guess in 2–3 sentences.
2. Who do you think has the most economic power in Aotearoa right now? (Who gets to make the big decisions about money, land, and resources?)
3. What questions do you have going into this documentary? Write at least two things you want to find out.
My prediction: What do you think this documentary will argue or show?
I te Mātaki · During Viewing
As you watch, note down the key things you notice. You don't need to write in full sentences — shorthand is fine. You will have time to expand your notes after.
Key claims grid: Record up to 4 key claims the documentary makes, along with the evidence it uses.
| Key claim the documentary makes | Evidence or example used to support it |
|---|---|
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
Quick-capture grid:
One moment that surprised me or made me feel something:
Whakaaro Hōhonu · Synthesis
1. What was the most important thing you learned or were reminded of?
2. What changed in your thinking? (Compare to your "Before Watching" predictions and answers.)
3. What question do you still have — something the documentary didn't fully answer for you?
4. Did the documentary include perspectives from people who are most affected by economic inequality — or mostly from experts and commentators talking about those people? What difference does that make?
5. One action or change the documentary suggests is possible:
6. Do you agree that this change is possible? Why or why not?
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
Documentaries are a form of storytelling, and in te ao Māori, who tells the story matters. The concept of whakapapa applies to knowledge as well as to people — understanding where a story comes from, who shaped it, and whose relationships it reflects changes how we receive it.
A Māori approach to media literacy might ask: Who is not speaking in this documentary? Whose experience has been translated through someone else's voice? This is not about dismissing the documentary — it is about listening more carefully and seeking out the perspectives that are missing.
It is also worth asking about whose economic stories get told at all. Most economic documentaries focus on mainstream capitalist systems. Iwi economic models, collective resource management, and mātauranga-based approaches to land and fisheries rarely appear in mainstream economic media.
Discussion: Think about the voices in the documentary. Who spoke for themselves? Who was spoken about by others? Does this matter?
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Resources already provided
- Companion worksheet: Economic Justice Documentary Analysis — a more advanced version of this worksheet with filmmaker and technique analysis.
- Related handout: Economic Justice Deep Dive — reading comprehension to pair with this viewing activity.
- Kaiako note: This worksheet works for any documentary about economic inequality, poverty, housing, wages, or related justice themes. Pause the film 1–2 times to give students time to write.
- Suggested documentaries: Check with school library or streaming services — this worksheet is designed to be documentary-agnostic.
- Status: Ready to print and use
Aronga Rerekē · Differentiated Pathways
Tīmata · Entry Level
Focus on the before-watching questions and the quick-capture grid during viewing. After watching, answer questions 1 and 3 from the synthesis section verbally with a partner before writing anything down.
Paerewa · On Level
Complete all sections. In your synthesis response to question 4, connect your answer to what you have learned about economic storytelling in Unit 4.
Tūāpae · Extension
Use the advanced companion worksheet (Economic Justice Documentary Analysis) alongside this one. Focus particularly on the filmmaker perspective, evidence quality rating, and bias reflection sections.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will engage with this resource to critically examine economic systems — understanding how wealth, power, and resources are distributed in Aotearoa New Zealand, and exploring indigenous and alternative economic frameworks that prioritise collective wellbeing, mana, and tino rangatiratanga over individual accumulation.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can explain how economic inequality is produced and sustained through systems, not just individual choices.
- ✅ Students can describe at least one alternative economic model — including a Māori or indigenous framework — that challenges dominant assumptions about wealth and justice.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide structured comparison frameworks (e.g., two-column tables: "current system vs alternative") for entry-level access. Offer extension tasks asking students to research a specific Māori economic enterprise (e.g., Ngāi Tahu Holdings, Tainui Group Holdings) and evaluate how it balances commercial success with cultural values.
ELL / ESOL: Economic concepts (equity, redistribution, exploitation, surplus value, collective ownership) need concrete grounding — use local NZ examples and visual infographics. Allow oral discussion of economic justice issues before written analysis. Draw connections to students' home countries' economic systems as valid comparative frameworks.
Inclusion: Economic discussions can touch on students' lived experiences of poverty, precarity, or privilege — create a safe, non-judgmental space. Neurodiverse learners benefit from concrete case studies rather than abstract theory. Frame economic justice as a systems problem, not a personal failing — this reframe is both accurate and inclusive.
Mātauranga Māori lens: The Māori economy before colonisation was not "primitive" — it was a sophisticated system of reciprocal exchange (utu), collective resource management (rāhui, kaitiakitanga), redistribution through manaakitanga, and wealth measured in relationships and obligations rather than individual accumulation. Colonisation deliberately disrupted these systems through land confiscation and the introduction of individual title. Contemporary Māori economic development — through iwi corporations, Māori land trusts, and social enterprises — represents a reclamation of rangatiratanga in the economic sphere. The concept of ōhanga Māori (Māori economy) offers a genuinely alternative framework for thinking about justice, sufficiency, and collective flourishing.
Prior knowledge: Students benefit from basic familiarity with how markets and governments work. No specialist economics knowledge required — the unit builds this progressively through accessible case studies.
Curriculum alignment
- The Economic World — Social Studies: Understand how economic decisions affect people, communities, and environments, and how different groups seek to influence economic systems and outcomes.
- Understand — Social Studies: Systems shape how people and groups organise themselves — including economic systems that distribute power, rights, and resources.