6
Curriculum Connections
2
Learning Areas
Phase 3
Curriculum Phase
Each statement below is quoted verbatim from Te Mātaiaho (the New Zealand Curriculum), Phase 3, and is listed against the lesson that actually teaches it rather than against the unit as a whole. No paraphrasing, no generated alignment. Verified verbatim against the live curriculum corpus on 2026-08-02.
Core connection
"Clarity of purpose and relevance derive from stakeholder values, historical influences, and cultural contexts."
Where this is taught
- Lesson 1 · Whakaaroaro — Empathise: empathy interviews surface a user's values; the kūmara-cultivation case study reads design as shaped by place and by prior observation.
Core connection
"Respectful integration of whanaungatanga and manaakitanga are essential to creative practice."
Where this is taught
- Lesson 1 · Whakaaroaro — Empathise: manaakitanga and whakarongo are taught as the working method of the Empathise phase.
- Elements of Art
Core connection
"Measurable specifications provide valid criteria for judging how outcomes are fit-for-purpose."
Where this is taught
- Lesson 2 · Tautuhi — Define: Activity 4 writes the specifications that Lessons 4 and 5 judge the prototype against.
Core connection
"Generating a wide range of design ideas using brainstorming and sketching techniques, exploring different forms and functions, and iteratively refining concepts before selecting them for development."
Where this is taught
- Lesson 3 · Whakaputa Whakaaro — Ideate: the divergent sprint, the labelled form-and-function sketches and the convergent selection grid are this statement's three moves, in order.
- Creative Problem Solving with Design Thinking
- Design Thinking Process
Core connection
"Specifications include performance measures, tolerances, and constraints that enable reliable testing and evaluation."
Where this is taught
- Lesson 4 · Hanga Tauira — Prototype: Activity 3 self-audits the low-fidelity build against the Lesson 2 specifications.
Core connection
"Critique uses evidence to justify spatial and product design refinements across iterations."
Where this is taught
- Lesson 5 · Whakamātau — Test and Iterate: Activity 3 builds the iteration plan from user-testing evidence, Activity 4 is the critique pitch, and the exit ticket is a written justification of the design decisions.
- Sustainable Technology Design Challenge