🔭 Mātauranga Systems Documentary Companion
Guided investigation for “Te Kawau ki Tai | Episode 1: Māhuhu o te Rangi” (RNZ)
Use with: Unit 3 Lesson 1 – Dual Knowledge Systems Foundation. Distribute before viewing, collect at the start of the comparison activity, and refer back during the knowledge braid matrix.
Te Mātaiaho Threads
- Tangata Whenuatanga – Whakapapa, Whanaungatanga
- People, Places & Environments – Indigenous science stewardship
- Pūtaiao – Investigating through observation, experimentation, and tikanga
Learning Focus
Track how knowledge keepers protect, test, and share mātauranga; compare with Western scientific processes; design actions for honouring knowledge in your whānau or hapori.
🎬 Video Anchor & Viewing Flow
Before Watching (5 mins)
- Say the kupu aloud together (see Vocabulary Preview) and translate in your own words.
- Predict: What responsibilities do knowledge keepers have to people and to whenua/moana?
- Set up a two-column note space: “Evidence from rangatira” | “Why this matters today”.
- Teacher kōrero: “Which details will help us compare mātauranga Māori and STEM later in the lesson?”
During Watching (15 mins)
- Pause at 2:10, 6:05, 9:45, 12:30 to update the knowledge braid planner.
- Record kupu Māori used by speakers and sketch symbols that show their meaning.
- Spot tikanga: How do the storytellers show respect for tūpuna and taiao?
After Watching (10 mins)
- Choose one quote that shifted your thinking; explain why it matters.
- Complete the station planner so you’re ready for the mātauranga remix rotations.
- Plan who you could interview (whānau/kaumātua/experts) to gather local mātauranga.
- Think-Pair-Share prompt for Lesson 1: “Where do mātauranga Māori and STEM align? Where do they diverge?”
🗣️ Vocabulary & Kupu Hou
Kupu for Today
| Kupu / Term | Student-Friendly Meaning | Where I Heard It / How I Will Use It |
|---|---|---|
| Mana tuku iho | Ancestral authority handed down through whakapapa. | |
| Puna mātauranga | Source or well of knowledge that sustains people. | |
| Maramataka | Māori lunar calendar for planning kai, health, and events. | |
| Taiao | Environment/natural world we are connected to. | |
| Whakawhiti mātauranga | Sharing, validating, and protecting knowledge with others. |
Quote Capture Strip
Write one quote that inspired you. Sketch a symbol that helps you remember the message.
🧭 Guided Viewing Prompts
0:00 – 2:10 | Whakapapa of Māhuhu o te Rangi
- What responsibilities does the waka crew carry?
- How does mātauranga guide the journey?
- Capture a kupu or image that shows mana tuku iho.
2:10 – 6:05 | Navigation & Celestial Science
- Which natural indicators are mentioned?
- How do observation and experimentation appear?
- What qualities must navigators develop?
6:05 – 9:45 | Maramataka & Kaitiakitanga
- List two tohu (signs) used to predict seasons.
- How is tikanga used to protect food sources?
- Where do you see science and values working together?
9:45 – 12:30 | Rongoā & Whānau Wellbeing
- How are plants tested and knowledge safeguarded?
- What obligations come with holding rongoā mātauranga?
- Note one connection to your own whānau practices.
🔄 Mātauranga Station Planner
Station Evidence Notes
| Puna Mātauranga | Evidence / Key Idea | Science Connections | Tikanga Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waka & Navigation | |||
| Maramataka & Taiao | |||
| Rongoā & Hauora | |||
| Knowledge Guardians |
🪢 Knowledge Braid Matrix
Compare, Honour, Apply
| Mātauranga Māori Method | Western Science Parallel | Shared Purpose | Action I Can Take |
|---|---|---|---|
Reflection Prompt
Choose one strand of your knowledge braid and write how you will honour it this term.
🏡 Whānau Bridge & Hapori Action
Whānau Interview Pātai
- What mātauranga keeps our whānau strong today?
- How do we show respect when sharing stories or taonga?
- Which tohu or maramataka signs do we notice in our community?
- What responsibilities do we have to protect this knowledge?
Summarise key kōrero and note any tikanga about what can/cannot be shared publicly.
Action Plan
Design one action to uplift mātauranga in your hapori (e.g., create a maramataka display, interview a knowledge keeper, record tohu around your kura).
👩🏫 Teacher Notes
Differentiation
- Offer audio versions of prompts; allow oral or visual responses.
- Provide partially completed tables or glossary cards for additional support.
- Extension: assign iwi-specific research and invite learners to lead micro-wānanga.
Formative Assessment
- Collect quote strips, station notes, and knowledge braid matrices as Mātainuku evidence.
- Use whānau interview summaries to demonstrate Mātairea connections.
- Photograph gallery walk feedback to capture tuakana-teina interactions.
Cultural Safety
- Remind ākonga to respect knowledge tapu; sharing is optional if kaupapa feels sensitive.
- Engage local iwi or kāinga reo to co-design future wānanga.
- Close sessions with karakia or waiata acknowledging collective learning.
Aligned with Te Mātaiaho (Identity, Language & Culture / People, Places & Environments) – effective from Term 1 2026.
Curriculum alignment
- Earth Systems — Knowledge: Note: See Social Science learning area — Geography strand.
- Ecosystems — Practices: Observing local ngā tohu o te taiao, such as flowering of certain plants or bird migrations, and explaining why these indicators can be used to understand and predict other en…
- Ecosystems — Knowledge: Indigenous knowledge systems, such as mātauranga Māori, are often founded on long-term observations of environmental patterns. For example, ngā tohu o te taiao can be used to …
- Earth and Space — Practices: Using scientific data (e.g. light years, astronomical units) to interpret and compare the size of, and distances between, celestial bodies, as well as the time scales of event…
- Ecosystems — Knowledge: Marama Muru-Lanning (Contemporary) explores mātauranga Māori as environmental knowledge, linking Indigenous perspectives to ecological science.
Curriculum alignment
- Nature of Science — Knowledge: Science is a way of investigating, understanding, and explaining our natural, physical world; mātauranga Māori offers complementary systems of knowledge that enrich scientific understanding.
- Identity, Culture, and Organisation: Understand how different knowledge systems — including mātauranga Māori — shape how communities relate to the natural world.