Sustainable Technology
Hangarau Toitū • Technology for a Sustainable Future
Duration
6-8 weeks
Year Level
Years 9-10
Subjects
Technology, Science
Focus
Kaitiakitanga
"Toitū te whenua, whatungarongaro te tangata"
The land remains, while people come and go
Our technological choices must serve the wellbeing of the land that sustains us all.
📋 Unit Overview
This unit explores how technology can be designed and used in ways that protect and restore our environment. Students will investigate sustainability challenges, analyze existing technologies, and design their own sustainable solutions.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga — Learning Intentions
- Understand the environmental impacts of technology (positive and negative)
- Apply life cycle thinking to evaluate products
- Design technological solutions that minimize environmental harm
- Connect sustainability to kaitiakitanga and Indigenous knowledge
- Evaluate technologies using sustainability criteria
- Create prototypes that address real environmental challenges
Paearu Angitu — Success Criteria
- I can evaluate a technology product using life cycle thinking and at least two sustainability criteria
- I can design a prototype that addresses a real environmental challenge and explain my kaitiakitanga reasoning
- I can present my design to an audience and respond to questions about trade-offs
🏛️ The Three Pillars of Sustainability
Environmental
Protecting ecosystems, reducing pollution, conserving resources, restoring nature
Taiao — Environment
Social
Equity, health, community wellbeing, cultural preservation, fair treatment
Tangata — People
Economic
Viable businesses, fair wages, long-term thinking, circular economy
Ōhanga — Economy
True sustainability requires balance across all three pillars.
📖 Unit Structure
Introducing the three pillars and kaitiakitanga
Environmental impacts of everyday tech
From raw materials to end-of-life
Designing out waste
Solar, wind, and NZ's energy future
Traditional sustainable practices
Identifying a real problem to solve
Building sustainable solutions
Improving our designs
Presenting solutions
🎯 Student Project Ideas
♻️ Waste Reduction
Design a system to reduce food waste in the school cafeteria
☀️ Solar Solutions
Create a solar-powered device for a specific school need
💧 Water Conservation
Design a rainwater collection or greywater system
🌿 Urban Greening
Create a vertical garden or native planting system
🚲 Sustainable Transport
Design infrastructure for active transport at school
📦 Packaging Innovation
Create sustainable alternatives to single-use packaging
📋 Kaiako Planning Snapshot
Entry / On-level / Extension:
- Entry: Focus on Lessons 1–3 only (what is sustainability, technology's footprint, life cycle). Use the three-pillars graphic as a visual scaffold. Pair students for the design challenge.
- On-level: Complete the full 10-lesson sequence. Students select one project idea and develop a prototype with teacher guidance.
- Extension: Design and pitch an original solution to a community sustainability challenge, incorporating Indigenous knowledge and quantitative evidence.
Inclusion Guidance:
- ESOL / ELL learners: Provide visual glossaries for key sustainability terms; allow bilingual project documentation. The kaitiakitanga framing often resonates with students from Pacific and Asian contexts — draw on their environmental knowledge.
- Neurodiverse learners / ADHD: Break the design challenge into daily micro-tasks. Use visual project boards. UDL: accept 3D models, video diaries, or oral presentations as alternatives to written reports.
📋 Curriculum Alignment
NZ Curriculum — Technology
- Technological Practice: Planning, brief development, outcome development
- Nature of Technology: Characteristics of technology, technology and society
- Technological Knowledge: Technological systems, technological products
NZ Curriculum — Science
- Planet Earth and Beyond: Earth systems, sustainability
- Physical World: Energy transformations
Key Competencies: Thinking, Participating and Contributing
Values: Ecological sustainability, Innovation, Integrity