Unit 2: Decolonized Aotearoa History

Ngā Whāinga Akoranga — Learning Intentions

• Ākonga will understand pre-colonial Māori society as sophisticated, innovative, and self-governing.
• Ākonga will critically analyse colonial narratives and identify whose perspectives are centred and marginalised.
• Ākonga will trace the history of Māori resistance — from the Aotearoa Wars through to contemporary tino rangatiratanga movements.
• Ākonga will evaluate the role of the Waitangi Tribunal and Treaty settlements in addressing historical injustice.
• Ākonga will construct counter-narratives that centre Māori agency, mana, and whakapapa.

Paearu Angitu — Success Criteria

• I can describe at least three aspects of pre-colonial Māori innovation and governance.
• I can explain how colonial narratives distort historical truth and whose interests they serve.
• I can identify key figures and events in Māori resistance movements across different eras.
• I can analyse primary and secondary sources through a decolonial lens.
• I can write a counter-narrative essay that uses evidence to centre Māori perspectives.

Curriculum Alignment — NZC Social Sciences

• Achievement Objective: Students will understand how the Treaty of Waitangi is responded to in different ways by people in Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Achievement Objective: Students will understand that people's interpretations of events can differ, and how and why this matters.
• Key Competencies: Thinking, Using language symbols and texts, Participating and contributing
• Values: Diversity, equity, community, and participation; min-height: 220px; respect for te Tiriti o Waitangi

Mātauranga Māori Lens

This unit is grounded in te ao Māori — a worldview that understands history, land, and identity as inseparable. Key concepts woven throughout:

• Whakapapa — tracing connections across time; every historical moment is connected to the present
• Mana motuhake — the right of self-determination; central to understanding tino rangatiratanga
• Whanaungatanga — communal solidarity as both cultural value and political force
• Tikanga — Māori customs and law as legitimate governance, not primitive superstition
• Manaakitanga — honouring the dignity of all learners, especially those with whakapapa connections to this history

Entry / On-Level / Extension

• Entry: Guided reading with sentence starters; teacher-annotated primary sources; graphic organisers for timelines and key figures.
• On-level: Structured inquiry tasks; source analysis scaffolds; counter-narrative essay with planning template.
• Extension: Independent research into a specific tino rangatiratanga figure or movement; comparative analysis of settler and Māori accounts; oral history project.

Inclusion Guidance

• ESOL / ELL learners: Pre-teach key vocabulary (tino rangatiratanga, decolonisation, sovereignty). Provide bilingual glossaries. Use visual timelines and maps to reduce language load.
• Neurodiverse learners / ADHD: Break tasks into discrete steps. Provide choice boards for how ākonga demonstrate understanding. UDL principle: multiple means of representation and action.
• Trauma-informed note: Some ākonga — particularly Māori learners — may have whānau connections to land confiscation, protest movements, or institutional racism. Normalise emotional responses and build in space for reflection, not just analysis.
• Dyslexia: Offer audio-text versions; use high-contrast fonts; allow voice recording as an alternative to written response.