🌱 Karakia & Cultural Opening — He Ara Hou
Karakia Tīmatanga
"Whakataka te hau ki te uru
Whakataka te hau ki te tonga
Kia mākinakina ki uta
Kia mātaratara ki tai
E hī ake ana te atakura
He tio, he huka, he hau hū
Tūturu o whiti whakamaua kia tīna. Tīna!
Hui e! Tāiki e!"
A karakia about the winds settling — from north and south — and the world coming into balance. May what is established here be firm and enduring.
Opening Provocation (3 minutes)
Ask ākonga: "Think about a problem in your community. Now think — is there anyone in your community already working on a solution? How would you find out?"
Today we discover that across Aotearoa, communities are already building creative climate solutions — many rooted in kaitiakitanga. Our role as kaitiaki is not to wait for government to solve everything. Kaitiakitanga is active, present, relational.
🎯 Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, ākonga will be able to:
- Describe at least three real NZ community climate solutions with specific details
- Analyse how kaitiakitanga principles underpin effective community environmental restoration
- Evaluate what makes a community solution sustainable over time
- Design a community climate solution for a local context, applying kaitiakitanga principles
- Connect community solutions to global climate mitigation and adaptation frameworks
Success Criteria — Ākonga will demonstrate:
- ✓ Accurate understanding of NZ case studies with specific details (names, locations, outcomes)
- ✓ Ability to identify which kaitiakitanga principles are present in each solution
- ✓ A community solution design that is locally specific, feasible, and kaitiakitanga-grounded
- ✓ Understanding of the difference between mitigation and adaptation as climate responses
🌿 The Kaitiakitanga Framework for Community Solutions
Not all climate solutions are equal. A kaitiakitanga lens helps us ask deeper questions about whether solutions are truly sustainable and just. Three core principles guide kaitiaki community action:
Whanaungatanga — Relationships
Who is in relationship with this place — people, species, ecosystems? Good solutions recognise and strengthen these relationships rather than disrupting them. They involve the community, not just experts.
Tiakitanga — Responsibility
Who holds responsibility for this place? Kaitiaki accept ongoing responsibility — not a one-off action, but a sustained commitment. This includes responsibility to past and future generations, not just the present.
Utu — Reciprocity
What does the environment give us, and what do we give back? Kaitiakitanga recognises that people and environment are in a reciprocal relationship. Taking without giving destroys mauri. Restoration requires giving back what was taken.
🏡 Ngā Tauira o Aotearoa — NZ Community Climate Solutions
The following case studies represent real community-led climate solutions happening right now in Aotearoa. They range from biodiversity restoration to agricultural transformation to urban coastal restoration.
🐦 Predator Free NZ — Biodiversity & Carbon
Predator Free New Zealand is a government-backed initiative to eliminate introduced predators (rats, stoats, possums) from Aotearoa by 2050. But it is also a climate solution — here is why:
- Native forest regenerates when possum browse pressure is removed — regenerating forest sequesters carbon
- Native birds (like kererū and tūī) return as pollinators and seed dispersers, accelerating forest recovery
- Community-led trapping programmes build local environmental stewardship — active kaitiakitanga
- Ngāi Tahu and many hapū are leading predator control initiatives on their rohe
- Wellington's "Predator Free Wellington" has involved over 14,000 volunteers since 2017
🌿 Wellington Harbour Coastal Restoration
Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) has seen significant iwi-led coastal restoration, particularly around Miramar Peninsula, Ōtari-Wilton's Bush, and the Harbour shores. Key initiatives:
- Port Nicholson Block Settlement Trust — working with Wellington City Council on harbour restoration integrating mātauranga Māori
- Native plantings along coastal edges reduce erosion and provide habitat
- Seagrass restoration in the harbour — seagrass meadows are significant carbon sinks
- Reducing stormwater pollution through rain gardens and wetland restoration
- Community planting days bring hundreds of Wellingtonians together with local iwi
🌊 Northland Mangrove Restoration
Northland / Te Tai Tokerau harbours contain much of Aotearoa's mangrove habitat. Attitudes toward mangroves have shifted dramatically — from clearance to restoration:
- Mangroves capture sediment and reduce coastal erosion — critical as sea level rises
- Mangrove forests sequester carbon at 3–5 times the rate of terrestrial forests
- They provide nursery habitat for commercially important fish species — mahinga kai protection
- Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua, and other Tai Tokerau iwi are partnering with Northland Regional Council on mangrove and estuary restoration
- Kaipara Harbour restoration programme is one of the largest coastal restoration efforts in the Southern Hemisphere
🌾 Regenerative Agriculture — Waikato
New Zealand's agricultural sector produces 49% of national greenhouse gas emissions — primarily methane from livestock. Regenerative agriculture offers a pathway to reduce emissions while improving farm resilience:
- Diverse pasture mixes (with plantain, chicory, red clover) can reduce methane from dairy cows by up to 20%
- Native riparian planting along farm waterways reduces nitrate runoff and sequesters carbon
- Soil carbon building through reduced tillage practices
- Ōmahu Incorporation and other Māori land trusts in Hawke's Bay are pioneering regenerative models on Māori land
- Fonterra and Beef + Lamb NZ have initiatives supporting on-farm emissions reduction
Additional NZ Examples Worth Knowing:
- Community solar projects: Solshare and other community solar models allowing households without rooftops to access solar energy
- Ngāti Porou carbon forestry: East Coast iwi converting marginal farmland to native forests under the Emissions Trading Scheme, generating carbon credits while restoring ecosystem
- Living Pa concept: Tūhoe Paepae Ahi Kā Initiative combining traditional pa design with modern sustainability — net-zero energy buildings using traditional principles
Activity 1: Case Study Deep Dive (20 minutes)
He Tirotiro Hōhonu — Close Reading and Analysis
20 minutes | Small groupsEach group chooses one of the NZ case studies above (or finds one of their own). Analyse it using these questions:
Understanding the Solution
- What is the specific climate problem this solution addresses?
- What is the solution, and how does it work ecologically?
- What evidence shows it is working?
- How is the local community involved?
Kaitiakitanga Analysis
- Which kaitiakitanga principle — whanaungatanga, tiakitanga, or utu — is strongest in this solution?
- Are Māori or iwi involved? How? Is this partnership genuine or tokenistic?
- Does this solution address both mitigation (reducing emissions) AND adaptation (building resilience)?
- What would make this solution stronger?
Groups share their analysis with the class (2–3 minutes each).
Activity 2: Design a Community Solution (30 minutes)
He Mahi Hanga — Designing for Your Place
30 minutes | Groups of 3–4Using the NZ case studies as inspiration, design a community climate solution for your local area — your school, your suburb, your town, or your rohe. The solution must be grounded in kaitiakitanga principles.
Design Brief — He Tauira Hanga:
What is the specific location? What are the key environmental features — waterways, coastline, bush, farmland, urban parks? Who are the tangata whenua of this place?
What specific climate challenge does this place face? (From Lesson 2 — think about local impacts.) Be specific: coastal erosion? Urban flooding? Loss of biodiversity? Agricultural drought?
Describe your community solution in detail. What would it look like? What species, materials, or technologies would it involve? Draw a simple diagram if helpful.
Who would lead this solution? Who would participate? How would local iwi or hapū be genuine partners — not just consulted, but leading?
- Whanaungatanga (Relationships): How does this solution strengthen relationships between people and place?
- Tiakitanga (Responsibility): What ongoing responsibility does this solution require? Who accepts it?
- Utu (Reciprocity): What does this solution give back to the environment in return for what the environment provides?
What would this realistically take to get started? What resources are needed? Who might fund it? (Consider: council grants, Manaaki Whenua / Landcare Research programmes, iwi environmental funds, school fundraising)
How would we know in 5 years whether this solution has worked? List both scientific measures (species counts, carbon captured, water quality) and cultural measures (mauri of the place, community connection).
Gallery Walk Sharing:
Groups display their designs (on paper or screen). Students do a gallery walk — spend 2 minutes at each design, leaving a sticky note with either a question or an affirmation. Debrief as a class: What are the most promising ideas? What themes appeared across multiple designs?
Whakamutunga — Reflection & Closure (5 minutes)
Exit Ticket — He Tikaka Whakaaro
Complete in your notebook:
- "The community solution that inspired me most today was... because..."
- "A kaitiaki principle I want to apply in my own life is... because..."
- "One barrier to community climate solutions in my area might be... and one way to overcome it is..."
Closing Whakataukī:
"Ko tōu reo, ko tōku reo, ko tā tātou reo."
Your voice, my voice, our voice together. Community solutions require many voices, many hands, many generations. No one can do it alone — but together, kaitiaki can transform a place.
Preview of Lesson 6:
"Next lesson we get numbers-focused — understanding New Zealand's emissions profile, calculating our own carbon footprint, and having an honest debate about individual versus systemic responsibility for climate change."
🏠 Mahi Kāinga — Homework Options
Option 1: Local Solution Research (25 minutes)
Research a community climate initiative in your own region. Contact them (by email or social media) to ask: How did you get started? What's the biggest challenge you face? How can young people help? Write a brief summary to share with the class.
Option 2: Solution Design Refinement (20 minutes)
Develop your community solution design from class into a more detailed proposal. Add: a sketch or diagram, a list of specific native species you would use, a realistic first step you could take in the next month, and a quote from a local environmental group or iwi that supports this kind of work.
Option 3: Predator Free NZ Connection (30 minutes)
Research whether your local area has a Predator Free programme. If so, what are they doing? Can your school get involved? Write to your local Predator Free coordinator to ask how students can volunteer. If there is no local programme, research how one might be started — who would you contact?
Kaiako Planning Snapshot
Science / Social Studies — Antarctica & Climate Change — Years 9–10
Curriculum alignment: Te Mataiaho | Science — Nature of Science; Social Studies — Place and Environment (Years 9–10). Achievement Objective: Students compare knowledge systems as ways of understanding environmental change.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga — Learning Intentions
- Explain the relationship between climate change, ice melt, and sea-level rise using both Western science and mātauranga Māori
- Analyse iwi environmental indicators as valid knowledge systems alongside scientific data
- Evaluate kaitiakitanga-based responses to climate threats in Aotearoa and globally
Differentiation & Proximinal Guidance
Extension: research a specific iwi climate adaptation project and present findings. Scaffold: sentence starters for comparison tasks and graphic organiser. On-level: structured inquiry with resource pack. Entry: key vocabulary card with visual anchors.
Inclusion & Accessibility
ESOL/ELL: pre-teach key climate vocabulary with visual supports and glossary. Neurodiverse learners: chunk activities into timed segments with visual timer. Accessibility: all video content includes captions; printed materials in accessible font size.