Te Kete Ako
Unit 6: Future Rangatiratanga Lesson 2 of 5

Innovation through Whakapapa: Learning from Traditional & Contemporary Māori Innovation

Duration: 75 minutes Year Level: 9-13 Curriculum Areas: STEM, Te Ao Māori, Technology

🌅 Karakia & Cultural Opening

"Kia eke ki te taumata" - Reaching for excellence

Opening Protocol (5 minutes)

  1. Acknowledgments: Honoring traditional innovators and contemporary leaders
  2. Whakataukī Reflection: "He taonga te taiao, he taonga te tangata"
  3. Intention: Learning from ancestors to innovate for the future

🎯 Learning Objectives & Success Criteria

By the end of this lesson, ākonga will be able to:

  • Analyze: Examine traditional Māori innovations and their underlying principles
  • Connect: Link historical innovation patterns to contemporary Māori-led initiatives
  • Design: Create innovation proposals using traditional wisdom frameworks
  • Evaluate: Assess how innovations support rangatiratanga and community wellbeing

Success Criteria - Ākonga will demonstrate:

  • ✓ Understanding that Māori have always been innovators
  • ✓ Recognition of principles underlying successful innovations
  • ✓ Ability to apply traditional frameworks to modern challenges
  • ✓ Clear connection between innovation and community benefit

Phase 1: Innovation Showcase & Pattern Recognition (25 minutes)

Contemporary Māori Innovation Gallery Walk

15 minutes exploration + 10 minutes synthesis

Setup:

Students share their researched examples (from Lesson 1 homework) in stations around the room. Examples might include:

Technology & Digital
  • Kiwa Digital - Indigenous data sovereignty
  • Māori language apps and AI development
  • Virtual reality marae experiences
Environment & Sustainability
  • Kaitiakitanga-based conservation models
  • Regenerative agriculture practices
  • Traditional ecological restoration methods
Social Innovation
  • Whakatōhea Social Enterprise
  • Youth leadership programs
  • Whānau-centered service delivery models

Gallery Walk Process:

  1. Presentation (1-2 mins each): Students briefly share their innovation example
  2. Pattern Spotting: Listeners identify common themes, values, approaches
  3. Questions: What makes this innovation "Māori"? How does it serve community?

Synthesis Activity:

Create collective mind map on whiteboard identifying patterns across innovations:

  • What values drive these innovations?
  • What approaches do they share?
  • How do they differ from mainstream innovations?
  • What role does whakapapa/relationships play?

Phase 2: Traditional Innovation Deep Dive (25 minutes)

Analyzing Historical Māori Innovation Frameworks

Station Rotation Activity (20 minutes):

Students rotate through 4 stations, spending 5 minutes at each. Each station features a traditional innovation category with analysis questions.

Station 1: Transportation Innovation

Focus: Waka design, navigation techniques

  • How did Pacific navigators innovate ocean-crossing technology?
  • What environmental knowledge was required?
  • How were innovations shared between communities?
  • What principles guided design decisions?
Modern Connection: How might these principles apply to sustainable transport today?
Station 2: Food System Innovation

Focus: Māra kai, preservation techniques, seasonal harvesting

  • How did Māori adapt Pacific crops to Aotearoa conditions?
  • What sustainable harvesting practices were developed?
  • How were food systems connected to spiritual and social practices?
  • What role did collaboration play in food security?
Modern Connection: How might these approaches address current food sovereignty challenges?
Station 3: Social Organization Innovation

Focus: Governance systems, conflict resolution, decision-making

  • How did hapū and iwi systems enable collective decision-making?
  • What innovations addressed resource management conflicts?
  • How were diverse voices included in leadership?
  • What role did whakapapa play in organizing society?
Modern Connection: How might these governance principles enhance modern democracy?
Station 4: Knowledge Innovation

Focus: Oral traditions, learning systems, knowledge preservation

  • How were complex knowledge systems maintained without writing?
  • What innovative teaching methods ensured cultural transmission?
  • How were new knowledge and traditional wisdom integrated?
  • What role did storytelling play in innovation?
Modern Connection: How might these methods enhance modern education?

Collective Insights (5 minutes):

Each station group shares one key insight about traditional innovation principles that could guide modern innovation.

Phase 3: Innovation Design Lab - Applying Traditional Frameworks (20 minutes)

Design Challenge: Innovation for Rangatiratanga

Challenge Framework:

Working in groups of 3-4, students design an innovation that addresses a contemporary challenge while applying traditional Māori innovation principles.

Step 1: Challenge Selection (3 minutes)

Choose one contemporary challenge:

  • Climate change adaptation
  • Housing affordability
  • Youth mental health
  • Digital divide
  • Economic inequality
  • Language revitalization
Step 2: Principle Integration (5 minutes)

Select 2-3 traditional innovation principles from today's learning:

  • Whakapapa-based: Building on relationships and connections
  • Community-centered: Serving collective wellbeing
  • Environment-integrated: Working with natural systems
  • Holistic: Addressing spiritual, physical, social dimensions
  • Adaptive: Flexible and responsive to local conditions
  • Knowledge-integrating: Combining traditional and contemporary wisdom
Step 3: Innovation Design (10 minutes)

Develop your innovation proposal including:

  • What: Brief description of the innovation
  • How: How traditional principles guide the approach
  • Who: Who would be involved/benefit
  • Impact: How it supports rangatiratanga
Step 4: Quick Pitch (2 minutes each group)

Present innovation in 90 seconds focusing on the connection between traditional principles and contemporary solutions.

Facilitation Note: Emphasize creativity and principle application over technical feasibility. The goal is practicing innovation thinking, not perfect solutions.

🌅 Whakamutunga - Reflection & Closing

Innovation Reflection & Commitment (5 minutes)

Individual Reflection Questions:

  1. What surprised you about traditional Māori innovation?
  2. Which innovation principle resonates most with you? Why?
  3. How might you apply one of these principles in your own life/community?

Closing Circle Commitment:

Each student shares one traditional innovation principle they want to remember/apply, using this format: "I will honor the innovation of my ancestors by..."

"Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua"

Walking backwards into the future (learning from the past to innovate forward)

📊 Assessment & Next Steps

Formative Assessment - Today's Evidence:

  • Analysis Skills: Quality of pattern recognition in innovation showcase
  • Cultural Understanding: Depth of engagement with traditional knowledge
  • Application: Creative integration of principles in design challenge
  • Collaboration: Respectful participation in group activities

Preparation for Lesson 3:

  • Research: Find one example of youth-led innovation or leadership in your community
  • Reflection: How might young people be uniquely positioned to lead innovation?
  • Planning: Begin thinking about an area where you'd like to create change

🛠️ Teacher Resources & Extensions

Additional Innovation Examples:

  • Rocket Lab: Peter Beck's space innovation journey
  • Te Puia: Geothermal innovation and tourism
  • Kiwibank: Alternative banking model
  • Scion: Forestry and bioeconomy research
  • Local Examples: Research innovations specific to your region

Extension Activities:

  • Interview Project: Students interview local innovators
  • Historical Research: Deep dive into specific traditional innovations
  • Innovation Fair: Develop innovation proposals more fully
  • Mentorship: Connect with contemporary Māori innovators

Cross-Curricular Connections:

  • Science: Traditional ecological knowledge
  • Technology: Design thinking processes
  • Mathematics: Navigation and measurement systems
  • Arts: Innovation in creative expression