🧭 Karakia & Cultural Opening — He Korihi te Manu
Karakia Tīmatanga
"He korihi te manu
Tēnei te ao
Kua kitea
Ka eke panuku
Ka eke tangaroa
Hui e! Tāiki e!"
The bird calls, the day has arrived, it has been found. Advance, advance. Let it be done!
Synthesis Opening (5 minutes)
This is the synthesis lesson — the moment where learning becomes commitment. Take 3 minutes to look back at your notes from Lessons 1–6. What stands out? What moved you? What made you angry or inspired you? Share with a partner.
"He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata." — The greatest thing in the world is people. Your action, your commitment, your kaitiakitanga matters.
🎯 Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, ākonga will be able to:
- Synthesise learning from across the unit into a coherent kaitiaki worldview
- Apply the three kaitiakitanga principles (whanaungatanga, tiakitanga, utu) to personal climate commitments
- Create a personal Kaitiaki Action Plan with individual, whānau, and community goals
- Collaborate on a class Kaitiaki Action Plan with realistic collective commitments
- Explain how Te Tiriti o Waitangi and UNDRIP create obligations relevant to climate action
Success Criteria — Ākonga will demonstrate:
- ✓ A completed Personal Kaitiaki Action Plan with three tiers of commitment (personal, whānau, community)
- ✓ Contribution to the class action plan document
- ✓ Clear articulation of the Treaty and UNDRIP connection to climate responsibility
- ✓ Readiness to present their kaitiaki portfolio in Lesson 8
🌿 He Anga Kaitiaki — The Kaitiakitanga Framework for Action
Throughout this unit, kaitiakitanga has been our guiding principle. Now we articulate it fully as a framework for climate action. This framework has three dimensions, each operating at three scales:
Whanaungatanga
Relationships
Kaitiakitanga begins with understanding our relationships — to place, to people, to species, to future generations, and to our tūpuna (ancestors).
- Personal: What is my relationship to this place (turangawaewae)?
- Whānau: How do our family's choices affect our relationships with land and sea?
- Community: Who are our allies? Who are we accountable to?
Tiakitanga
Responsibility
A kaitiaki accepts ongoing responsibility — not just when it is convenient, but as a sustained, generational commitment. Kaitiakitanga cannot be outsourced.
- Personal: What specific responsibilities am I committing to?
- Whānau: What can we do together that none of us can do alone?
- Community: What advocacy or structural change will we pursue?
Utu
Reciprocity
Papatūānuku gives life — the kaitiaki gives back in return. Climate action is not just about reducing harm; it is about actively restoring the mauri of what has been damaged.
- Personal: What do I give back to the taiao?
- Whānau: How do we participate in restoration, not just reduction?
- Community: How do we advocate for systemic restoration — not just emissions reduction?
Activity 1: Personal Kaitiaki Action Plan (30 minutes)
Tōku Mahere Kaitiaki — My Kaitiaki Action Plan
30 minutes | Individual workThis is the heart of the lesson. Your Personal Kaitiaki Action Plan draws on everything you have learned across all seven lessons. It should be specific, genuine, and achievable — not aspirational rhetoric but real commitments with real timelines.
Personal Kaitiaki Action Plan Template
My Kaitiaki Identity — Ko wai au?
Complete in your own words: "Ko [mountain] te maunga. Ko [river] te awa. Ko [people] tōku iwi/hapū. Ko [name] tōku ingoa. I stand as kaitiaki for..."
Tier 1: Tōku Whakamōhiotanga — My Individual Commitment
One specific, meaningful change I will make in my own life within the next month. This should come from your carbon footprint analysis (Lesson 6) or your personal response to what moved you in this unit.
Example: "I will reduce my red meat consumption to maximum twice per week and learn to cook two plant-based meals I actually enjoy." Or: "I will start a worm farm for our family food waste."
By when: _________________ How I will know I have done it: _________________
Tier 2: Tōku Whānau — My Whānau Action
One action I will take with my whānau or household within the next three months. This requires having a conversation at home about climate and asking for their participation.
Example: "Talk with my family about switching to a green electricity plan." Or: "Propose a family pledge to fly less and share one piece of information from this unit at dinner."
By when: _________________ Who in my whānau will join me: _________________
Tier 3: Tōku Hapori — My Community Advocacy Goal
One community-level advocacy goal I will work toward this year. This connects to your campaign proposal from Lesson 4 or your community solution from Lesson 5.
Example: "I will co-write a petition to the school Board of Trustees asking for a school solar panel feasibility study." Or: "I will connect with our local Predator Free programme and volunteer once a term."
My first step (by next week): _________________
My Kaitiaki Whakataukī — Personal Climate Commitment Statement
In 2–3 sentences, write your personal statement of commitment as a kaitiaki. This is your public declaration — it will be read aloud in the Lesson 8 ceremony.
Activity 2: Class Kaitiaki Action Plan (20 minutes)
Tā Tātou Mahere Kaitiaki — Our Class Collective Plan
20 minutes | Whole class collaborativeBeyond individual action, our class can commit to collective action. The class plan has three components — built together in today's lesson and formalised in Lesson 8.
1. Norms and Values
What are the values this class commits to as kaitiaki? (e.g., "We speak with honesty about climate impacts." "We support each other in taking action, not shaming each other for what we cannot do." "We prioritise justice, not just sustainability.")
Brainstorm as a class — record on the board, then agree on three to five collective values.
2. Our School Climate Action
From Lesson 4 campaign proposals and Lesson 5 community solutions, vote on ONE collective school-level action the class will pursue together. Be specific about:
- What we will do
- Who will lead it
- Who is our decision-maker
- Our timeline
- How we will report back to the class
3. Our Community Solidarity
Who do we commit to standing in solidarity with? This may include:
- Pacific communities facing climate displacement
- Māori communities disproportionately affected by climate events
- Future generations who will inherit the consequences of today's decisions
- Specific people or communities the class chooses to acknowledge
Solidarity is not charity — it is recognising our shared waka and acting accordingly.
Record the class plan on a large sheet of paper or a shared digital document. This document will be ceremonially finalised in Lesson 8. Assign a small group to format it neatly before the final lesson.
⚖️ Te Tiriti & UNDRIP — The Legal and Moral Framework
Why Treaty Obligations Matter for Climate Action
Te Tiriti o Waitangi (1840)
- Article 1: Crown governance — with it comes responsibility for the environment of this nation
- Article 2: Māori tino rangatiratanga over taonga — climate change threatens taonga (land, water, species)
- Article 3: Equal rights — Māori communities should not bear disproportionate climate burdens
- The Resource Management Act 1991 embeds kaitiakitanga as a Treaty principle in law
UNDRIP — UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Article 25: Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain their spiritual relationship with their territories and environment
- Article 29: Right to the conservation and protection of environment — including protection from hazardous activities
- Article 32: Free, prior, and informed consent for projects affecting indigenous territories
- NZ endorsed UNDRIP in 2010 — creating a moral and political commitment
Reflection Questions for Action Plans:
- If the Crown has Treaty obligations to protect Māori taonga from climate change, what specific actions should we demand of the Crown as kaitiaki advocates?
- How can non-Māori students in this class support Treaty-based climate justice without speaking over Māori voices?
- What does UNDRIP Article 29 mean for the communities we read about in Lesson 2 — particularly Māori in Hawke's Bay and Pacific peoples in Tuvalu?
- If your class advocacy plan involves engaging with local council or government, how can you explicitly reference Treaty obligations in your submission?
Whakamutunga — Reflection & Closure (5 minutes)
Sharing Circle — He Rōpū Kōrero
Each student shares one sentence from their Personal Kaitiaki Action Plan — either their Tier 1 individual commitment or their Kaitiaki Statement. Do this as a sharing circle (standing or seated in a circle), hearing each voice.
"Māku e tū ana, māu e tū ana, ka tū tātou katoa."
When you stand, when I stand, we all stand together. Our individual commitments, heard in community, become collective strength.
Preview of Lesson 8:
"In our final lesson, we reflect on the whole unit — revisiting our connection to place, completing our portfolios, and holding a class commitment ceremony. Come with your action plans, your letters (if you wrote one to Sina or an MP), and your reflections from the unit."
- Your completed Personal Kaitiaki Action Plan
- Any homework pieces from across the unit you want to include in your portfolio
- Your Kaitiaki Statement (prepared to read aloud)
- Optional: A taonga, photo, or object connected to a place you want to protect
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
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.