Lesson Overview
This lesson focuses on the powerful Māori protest movements of the 1970s and 80s. Students will analyze the strategies, arguments, and impacts of groups like the Polynesian Panthers and the protestors at Bastion Point, understanding this as a modern chapter in the long fight for sovereignty.
Learning Activities
1. Do Now: Bastion Point (15 mins)
Start with the Bastion Point Video Activity. Watch the first 5-10 minutes of the documentary and discuss the first two questions as a class.
2. Analyzing Arguments (20 mins)
Distribute the Arguments of Tino Rangatiratanga handout. Connect the PEEL structure back to the arguments made by the protestors at Bastion Point and in the 1975 Land March.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students explore Aotearoa New Zealand’s colonial history through Māori eyes — examining pre-colonial innovation, resistance, activism, and the ongoing pursuit of tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Can explain key events in New Zealand’s decolonization history from a Māori perspective
- ✅ Analyses colonial narratives critically and presents counter-narratives grounded in mātauranga Māori
- ✅ Connects historical struggles for tino rangatiratanga to contemporary Māori rights and sovereignty
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide sentence frames as an entry point for discussion tasks; use visual timelines for students new to NZ history. Extension tasks include primary source analysis and oral history comparisons.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key terms (colonisation, sovereignty, tino rangatiratanga) with bilingual glossaries; pair ELL students with supportive peers during kōrero tasks.
Inclusion: Offer multiple response modes (written, verbal, visual); neurodiverse learners benefit from structured note templates and pre-reading access to lesson content.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Whakapapa as historical framework — history is relational, not linear. Mana motuhake and tino rangatiratanga frame every discussion of sovereignty and self-determination. Tikanga guides respectful engagement with sensitive historical content.
Prior knowledge: Basic familiarity with New Zealand geography and timeline of European settlement.