Te Kete Ako

Lesson 5: Digital Futures - Envisioning Māori Digital Sovereignty in 2050

Duration: 75 minutes Year Level: 10-13 Unit: Digital Tech & AI Ethics

🎯 Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • Synthesize learning from Unit 7 to envision positive Māori digital futures
  • Create compelling narratives of technology that serves tino rangatiratanga and whānau well-being
  • Identify pathways from present challenges to desired futures
  • Present visionary proposals for Māori digital sovereignty in accessible, creative formats

📚 Key Concepts

  • Afrofuturism/Indigenous Futurism: Using speculative fiction and imagination to envision Indigenous futures beyond colonial narratives
  • Digital Sovereignty: Māori control over Māori data, digital systems, and technological futures
  • Backcasting: Starting with desired future and working backward to identify steps to get there
  • Utopian vs. Dystopian Futures: Critical imagination of best-case and worst-case technological scenarios

🚀 Lesson Structure

Part 1: Tuwhera (Opening) - 10 minutes

Karakia + Whakataukī: "Mā te tamaiti nei hei kawe i tōna nei tipuna" - The child will carry forward their ancestors.

Provocation: Show video clips or images from Indigenous futurism art/media:

  • Maui's Hook: Māori sci-fi/fantasy film
  • Indigenous futurism art: Imagining traditional practices in digital spaces
  • Black Panther's Wakanda: Technology rooted in African culture and values

Question: If Māori had controlled technology development from the beginning, what would our digital world look like today?

Part 2: Dystopian/Utopian Scenarios - 15 minutes

Think-Pair-Share Activity: Students imagine two possible digital futures for Aotearoa in 2050:

Scenario 1: Dystopian Future (worst-case)

Prompt: Imagine 2050 where Māori have lost all digital sovereignty. What does life look like?

  • Who controls data about Māori communities?
  • What happened to te reo Māori in digital spaces?
  • How are AI systems being used against Māori interests?
  • What cultural practices have been lost due to technology?

Scenario 2: Utopian Future (best-case)

Prompt: Imagine 2050 where Māori have achieved full digital sovereignty. What does life look like?

  • How is technology strengthening whānau and community?
  • What role does AI play in revitalizing te reo Māori?
  • How are Māori governance structures using digital tools?
  • What innovations have Māori created that benefit the world?

Class Discussion: Share scenarios, identify common themes, discuss which future feels more likely and why.

Part 3: Vision Creation - 30 minutes

Major Project: Students work individually or in pairs to create a detailed vision of a positive Māori digital future in 2050.

Format Options (student choice):

  • Written Narrative: Short story or news article from 2050
  • Visual Art: Illustration, digital art, or storyboard depicting future scenes
  • Video/Audio: Mock documentary, podcast episode, or TikTok from the future
  • Tech Prototype: Sketch of future app/system with explanation
  • Policy Proposal: Official document outlining digital sovereignty framework

Required Components:

  1. The Vision: What does Māori digital sovereignty look like in 2050?
  2. Key Technologies: What specific technologies exist? How do they work?
  3. Cultural Values: How are tikanga Māori principles embedded in technology?
  4. Impact on Daily Life: How has this changed how Māori live, work, learn, connect?
  5. Pathway: What were 3-5 critical steps taken between now and 2050 to achieve this?
  6. Challenges Overcome: What obstacles were faced? How were they addressed?

Part 4: Gallery Walk / Presentations - 15 minutes

Share + Celebrate: Students present their visions to the class

Format:

  • Visual projects: Gallery walk with students explaining their work to peers who stop by
  • Narrative/Performance projects: 2-3 minute presentations

Peer Appreciation: Students leave positive feedback notes identifying:

  • One aspect of this vision that feels especially powerful or inspiring
  • One technology or innovation they'd love to see become real

Part 5: Call to Action - 10 minutes

Discussion: What can we do NOW to move toward these positive futures?

Individual Commitment: Students identify:

  • One thing I can do as a student (learn coding, study te reo, advocate for data sovereignty)
  • One thing our school could do (tech policy changes, Indigenous tech curriculum)
  • One thing our community could do (support Māori tech businesses, demand data sovereignty)
  • One thing I'll actually commit to doing this month (concrete, specific action)

Part 6: Whakamutunga (Closing) - 5 minutes

Final Reflection: "How has Unit 7 changed the way I think about technology and my role in shaping digital futures?"

Karakia Whakamutunga

Whakataukī for Moving Forward: "Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua" - I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past (bringing our ancestors' wisdom into the future we create).

📊 Assessment

Formative: Dystopian/utopian scenario contributions, engagement in vision creation

Summative: Vision project + individual commitments

Rubric for Vision Projects:

  • Imagination & Creativity: Compelling, detailed vision of future possibilities
  • Cultural Grounding: Clear integration of tikanga Māori and tino rangatiratanga
  • Technical Understanding: Demonstrates learning from unit (AI, data, digital systems)
  • Pathway Thinking: Realistic steps from present to envisioned future
  • Presentation Quality: Clear, engaging communication of ideas

🎓 Teacher Notes

Preparation:

  • Find and prepare Indigenous futurism examples (art, video clips, short stories)
  • Set up space for creative work (art supplies, tech access, quiet areas)
  • Prepare vision project template/guide

Differentiation:

  • Support: Provide more structured template with specific prompts for each vision component
  • Extension: Students create full multimedia presentation or functional prototype
  • Choice: Multiple format options accommodate diverse strengths (writing, visual, audio, tech)

Cultural Considerations:

  • Center Māori students' voices - their visions are particularly valuable
  • Ensure futures are grounded in hope and possibility, not just critique
  • Acknowledge that Māori have always been innovators and futurists
  • Recognize students as architects of the future, not just observers

Extension:

Compile student visions into a class "Digital Futures" publication/exhibition. Share with whānau, community, and local Māori tech organizations.

🔗 Connections to NZC

  • Digital Technologies Level 5: Understand how digital systems impact society and the environment
  • Social Studies Level 5: Understand how people seek economic/social growth through innovation
  • Key Competencies: Thinking (creative vision), participating and contributing (action commitments)
  • Values: Innovation, ecological sustainability, cultural diversity

💬 Whānau Connection

Students share their 2050 vision with whānau and ask: "What digital future do you hope for our family and our people? What wisdom from our tūpuna should guide how we build technology?"

🎉 Unit Celebration

This is the final lesson of Unit 7! Consider celebrating student learning with:

  • Public exhibition of vision projects for whānau/community
  • Sharing selected visions with local Māori tech organizations
  • Unit reflection circle: "One thing I learned, one thing I'll remember, one thing I'll do"