Mātauranga Systems Documentary Companion
Mātauranga Systems Documentary Companion · 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
Video Companion · Mātauranga Systems Documentary Companion
Use this handout before, during, and after viewing.
About Mātauranga Māori
Mātauranga Māori is not simply "Māori knowledge" — it is a comprehensive system of understanding that includes philosophy, values, ecological observation, astronomical knowledge, agricultural practices, and oral tradition. It has been developed, tested, and refined over many generations.
While Watching
Notice: (1) How is mātauranga Māori transmitted from generation to generation? (2) What examples of mātauranga in action are shown? (3) How do knowledge-holders describe their responsibilities?
Reflection
Use the whakataukī to frame whānau kōrero about the responsibility to protect and grow mātauranga: "Ko tō reo, ko tōku reo, ko te reo tātou" — Your language, my language, is our language together.
Critical Thinking Questions
1. Knowledge transmission
How is mātauranga Māori passed down through generations? What challenges does this transmission face in the contemporary world?
2. Scientific validity
Some people argue mātauranga Māori and Western science are in competition. Others say they are complementary. What evidence from the documentary supports the view that both have value?
3. Obligations of knowledge
Knowledge-holders in te ao Māori often speak of their responsibility to protect and transmit knowledge. How does this idea of "knowledge as taonga" differ from Western ideas of intellectual property?
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
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will engage with this resource to explore the intersection of STEM disciplines and mātauranga Māori — understanding how Indigenous knowledge systems and Western science share complementary ways of knowing the world.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can identify connections between mātauranga Māori and STEM concepts in this resource.
- ✅ Students can explain how dual knowledge systems strengthen understanding of natural phenomena.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide concept maps or sentence frames to scaffold access for students at the entry level. Offer extension tasks exploring specific mātauranga Māori knowledge domains (e.g., tohu āhua rangi, rongoā, whakapapa o te taiao) in greater depth.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key vocabulary in both te reo Māori and English — including domain-specific STEM terms. Bilingual glossaries and visual anchors support comprehension. Allow students to demonstrate understanding in their preferred language.
Inclusion: Tasks are designed for a range of readiness levels. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured, chunked activities with clear success criteria. Use hands-on, inquiry-based formats where possible. Affirm the value of different ways of knowing.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Mātauranga Māori encompasses astronomy, ecology, navigation, agriculture, and medicine — systems of knowledge developed over centuries. This unit treats mātauranga Māori as epistemically equal to Western science, not supplementary. Bring kaitiakitanga as a guiding ethic: knowledge is held in relationship, not extracted.
Prior knowledge: Students benefit from baseline understanding of the relevant STEM domain. No specialist te reo Māori knowledge required — glossaries provided. Best used after introductory lessons or as a standalone exploration.
Curriculum alignment
- Nature of Science — Knowledge: Science is a way of investigating, understanding, and explaining our natural, physical world; mātauranga Māori offers complementary systems of knowledge that enrich scientific understanding.
- Identity, Culture, and Organisation: Understand how different knowledge systems — including mātauranga Māori — shape how communities relate to the natural world.