🔢 Karakia & Cultural Opening — He Āta Titiro
Karakia Tīmatanga
"Āe, ko tōku tinana i tū ana i runga i a Papatūānuku
Ko ōku waewae e pūmau ana ki ōna māra
Ko ōku ringa e mahi ana mōna
Ka ū, ka ū, ka ū."
Yes, my body stands upon Papatūānuku. My feet are grounded in her gardens. My hands work for her. Be firm, be firm, be firm.
Opening Question (3 minutes)
Ask ākonga: "What do you think your biggest contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is? Take a guess."
Most people guess wrong. Many focus on plastic bags or turning off lights — things that matter but are tiny compared to diet, transport, and home heating. Today we get honest about the numbers, and we ask the harder question: Is this about individual choices, or systemic change, or both?
🎯 Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, ākonga will be able to:
- Describe New Zealand's emissions profile — key sectors and proportions
- Calculate an estimated personal carbon footprint using a NZ-specific framework
- Estimate the carbon footprint of their class or school and identify top reduction opportunities
- Evaluate the debate between individual and systemic responsibility for climate action
- Explain the role of He Pou a Rangi (Climate Change Commission) in NZ climate policy
Success Criteria — Ākonga will demonstrate:
- ✓ Accurate knowledge of NZ's top three emission sources with approximate percentages
- ✓ A completed personal carbon footprint estimate with identified top-three changes
- ✓ A well-reasoned position in the individual vs. systemic debate, drawing on evidence
- ✓ Knowledge of at least one He Pou a Rangi recommendation relevant to their lives
📊 He Tirohanga Tatau — NZ's Emissions Profile
New Zealand's Greenhouse Gas Emissions (2022 data). Source: Ministry for the Environment, New Zealand's Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990–2022. The inventory is republished every year and the split shifts — check the current edition before teaching:
Total emissions: approximately 80 million tonnes CO₂-equivalent per year (before forestry removals). Per capita, New Zealand ranks among the highest emitters in the OECD on a gross basis.
Key NZ Context:
- NZ's electricity grid is already ~85% renewable (hydro, geothermal, wind) — making electrification of transport and heating a major opportunity
- Agriculture is uniquely challenging — methane from livestock is biogenic (part of the natural carbon cycle) and politically contested
- NZ's net emissions are lower due to large plantation forests absorbing CO₂ — but these forests are harvested, releasing carbon again
- NZ per capita emissions are approximately 6.5 tonnes CO₂-e per person per year (net, after forestry). Globally, a "fair share" target for 2030 is approximately 2.5 tonnes per person.
He Pou a Rangi — Climate Change Commission
He Pou a Rangi (the Climate Change Commission) is an independent advisory body established under the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019. Its role is to advise the government on pathways to meet New Zealand's emissions budgets and 2050 net-zero target.
Key recommendations relevant to students:
- Accelerate uptake of electric vehicles — shift NZ's transport fleet to electric by 2035
- Improve home insulation and transition from gas heating to electric heat pumps
- Reduce methane from livestock by 10% by 2030 through diet, genetics, and land-use change
- Plant native trees on marginal farmland and urban areas for carbon sequestration
- Build compact, walkable cities with accessible public transport to reduce car dependence
- Incorporate mātauranga Māori into climate policy — Māori are key partners in land-based solutions
Activity 1: Personal Carbon Calculator (20 minutes)
Tō Ake Tapuwae Waro — Your Personal Carbon Footprint
20 minutes | Individual workUse the following NZ-specific estimates to calculate an approximate personal annual carbon footprint. This is a simplified model — for a more precise calculation, use the Carbon Zero NZ Calculator or WWF NZ Footprint Calculator.
| Category | Your Answer | Approx. CO₂-e (kg/year) | Your Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transport — Car | Petrol car daily = 2,400 / EV = 400 / No car = 0 | Per km: ~0.21kg (petrol) / 0.04kg (EV) | |
| Transport — Flights | One NZ domestic return: ~200kg / One long-haul return: ~3,000–5,000kg | High variability; aviation has multiplier effects | |
| Diet | High meat (daily): ~2,500 / Average NZ: ~1,500 / Plant-based: ~700 | Beef: 27kg CO₂ per kg; lamb: 39kg CO₂ per kg | |
| Home Heating | Gas heating: ~1,200 / Wood burner: ~900 / Heat pump: ~200 | Depends on fuel type | |
| Shopping & Consumption | High: ~2,000 / Average: ~1,200 / Minimal: ~600 | New clothing, electronics, packaged goods | |
| Food Waste | Lots of waste: ~400 / Some: ~200 / Minimal: ~50 | Food in landfill produces methane | |
| TOTAL | Add up all categories | NZ average: ~6,500 kg per person | _____ kg |
Reflection Questions:
- What is your largest single source of emissions? Does this surprise you?
- Identify your top THREE changes that would reduce your footprint the most. Are these changes within your control, or do they depend on others (parents, school, government)?
- Compare your total with the NZ average (~6,500 kg) and the global "fair share" target (~2,500 kg by 2030). What does this gap reveal?
Activity 2: Class or School Carbon Footprint (20 minutes)
Te Tapuwae Waro o Tō Tātou Kura — Our School's Footprint
20 minutes | Groups or whole classNow we scale up from personal to institutional. What is the carbon footprint of your class or school? Use these estimates to build a rough picture:
School Emissions to Estimate:
- How do most students get to school? (Car, bus, walking, cycling?)
- How is the school heated? (Gas, electric heat pump, wood burner?)
- What is the school's electricity use? (Ask the admin office)
- How much food waste goes to landfill from the school canteen or lunches?
- Does the school fly teachers or students for sports, trips?
- How much paper, plastic, electronics are purchased and disposed of annually?
Top 3 School Reductions:
Based on what you know, identify the three changes your school could make that would have the biggest emissions impact:
These findings could form the basis of a real presentation to your Board of Trustees.
Activity 3: The Big Debate — Individual vs. Systemic Responsibility (20 minutes)
He Taupatupatu — A Genuine Climate Debate
20 minutes | Structured debate or Socratic seminarThe Central Question:
"Is fixing climate change primarily the responsibility of individuals changing their behaviour, or governments and corporations changing the system — or both, and in what proportion?"
Side A: Individual Responsibility
Key arguments to consider:
- Individuals make thousands of consumption choices — these aggregate into massive market signals
- Leading by example creates cultural change; normalises lower-carbon lifestyles
- Personal action builds moral credibility when advocating for systemic change
- Kaitiakitanga requires personal responsibility — you cannot outsource guardianship
- Consumer choices drove the rise of plant-based foods, EVs, renewable energy
Side B: Systemic / Structural Change
Key arguments to consider:
- The concept of "carbon footprint" was popularised by BP in a 2004 advertising campaign to shift blame from industry to consumers
- 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions — individuals cannot fix this
- Structural barriers (no public transport, expensive EVs, cheap processed food) prevent individual action
- NZ's 49% agricultural emissions cannot be fixed by individuals avoiding beef — it requires farm-level change and government policy
- Climate justice means addressing the systems that create inequality, not just changing personal habits
The Kaitiaki Lens on This Debate:
Kaitiakitanga actually reframes this debate. A true kaitiaki acts at multiple levels simultaneously — personal, whānau, hapū, iwi, and beyond. The question is not "individual OR system" but "what am I called to do at each level?" The waka metaphor is useful: everyone must paddle (individual action) AND the waka must be steered well (systemic leadership). Both matter.
Debate Format Options:
- Formal Debate: Divide class into two groups; 5 minutes preparation, 3-minute speeches per side, 2-minute rebuttals, class vote before and after (did minds change?)
- Socratic Seminar: Open discussion with teacher facilitating; students must build on previous speaker's point before introducing new argument
- Position Continuum: Students physically stand on a line from "Purely Individual" to "Purely Systemic" and explain their position; can move during discussion
Whakamutunga — Reflection & Closure (5 minutes)
Exit Ticket — He Tikaka Whakaaro
Complete in your notebook:
- "My personal carbon footprint is approximately ___kg/year. My top three changes would be..."
- "After today's debate, I believe individual/systemic change is more important because... but I also think..."
- "One He Pou a Rangi recommendation I want to learn more about is..."
Closing Whakataukī:
"Mā te huruhuru ka rere ai te manu."
Feathers enable the bird to fly. Knowledge and understanding — the numbers we have learned today — enable us to act effectively. Without knowing where our emissions come from, we cannot reduce them wisely.
Preview of Lesson 7:
"Next lesson is the synthesis — we bring together everything from the unit and create our personal and class Kaitiaki Action Plan. Come prepared with your campaign proposal from Lesson 4 and your footprint analysis from today."
🏠 Mahi Kāinga — Homework Options
Option 1: Full Carbon Calculator (30 minutes)
Complete the full WWF NZ Footprint Calculator or Carbon Zero NZ Calculator online. Compare your result to today's simplified estimate. What did you miss in the simplified version? Write a one-paragraph reflection on what you learned and what your top reduction opportunity is.
Option 2: Family Carbon Conversation (30 minutes)
Share your carbon footprint findings with your whānau at home. Together, identify one change your household could make in the next six months that would meaningfully reduce your family's footprint. Write up what you discussed and what (if any) commitment your family made.
Option 3: He Pou a Rangi Research (25 minutes)
Read the summary of He Pou a Rangi's 2023 annual progress report (available on the Climate Change Commission website). What progress has New Zealand made on its emissions budgets? Where is the country falling behind? What does the Commission say specifically about agriculture and transport? Write a one-page summary for the class.
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.