Unit 4: Economic Justice & Rangatiratanga
Alternative Economic Models & Community Prosperity
A transformative 8–10 week exploration of economic systems — challenging capitalist assumptions and examining Māori economic models built on collective wellbeing, mana, and sustainable community prosperity.
Unit Overview Map
| Week | Lesson | Focus | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Economic Foundations | Systems analysis, inequality mapping | Economic systems analysis |
| 3–4 | Māori Economic Models | Hāpori, mahi, oranga frameworks | Comparative framework essay |
| 5–6 | Economic Colonisation | Land confiscation, Native Land Court | Rohe case study |
| 7–8 | Contemporary Resistance | Treaty settlements, Māori enterprises | Entity profile |
| 9–10 | Building Alternatives | Community economic design | Design project presentation |
NZ Curriculum — Social Sciences
"The economy is made up of different sectors: the primary sector involves getting raw materials, such as fishing, farming, and mining; the secondary sector involves manufacturing goods; the tertiary sector involves providing services, such as retail, education, and healthcare."
Phase 3 | Social Sciences
Learning Objectives (Whāinga Ako)
- Analyse how economic systems distribute wealth and create inequality across communities
- Compare Māori economic frameworks (hāpori, mahi, oranga) with dominant capitalist models
- Examine how colonisation restructured Māori economic relationships and land ownership
- Evaluate contemporary Māori economic sovereignty movements and alternative models
- Design community-centred economic solutions that prioritise collective wellbeing over individual accumulation
Unit Journey — Week by Week
Weeks 1–2: Economic Foundations
Students investigate how economic systems shape daily life — who accumulates wealth, who is excluded, and why. Using real NZ data, students map economic inequality and challenge the assumption that current systems are neutral or inevitable.
Weeks 3–4: Māori Economic Models
Students explore tūāhuatanga (relationships), mahi (work as contribution), and oranga (collective flourishing) as economic principles. Iwi enterprises, Māori land trusts, and co-operative models demonstrate how alternative economies function at scale today.
Weeks 5–6: Economic Colonisation
Students examine how colonisation dismantled Māori economic systems — land confiscation, the Native Land Court, forced integration into wage labour — and trace the economic legacy of dispossession into contemporary inequality.
Weeks 7–8: Contemporary Resistance
Students analyse Māori economic sovereignty in action — Treaty settlements, Māori development corporations, Māori tourism, and Māori-led social enterprises — as acts of resistance and reclamation building genuine rangatiratanga.
Weeks 9–10: Building Alternatives
Students design community-based economic solutions, drawing on the full unit to create proposals grounded in tino rangatiratanga. Projects are presented to community stakeholders where possible, connecting learning to real civic participation.
Kaiako Notes (Teacher Guidance)
This unit challenges students to question economic systems many adults have never examined critically. Begin by establishing a safe space where students can share their own whānau experiences of economic constraint — many will have direct evidence validating the unit's themes.
The Māori economic framework is not presented as nostalgic or pre-modern, but as sophisticated and adaptive. Iwi enterprises, Māori-owned businesses, and whenua trusts are contemporary expressions of these principles. Use these as evidence that alternatives are not merely theoretical.
For the colonisation lessons, ground abstract concepts in local examples: which whenua in your rohe was confiscated, which hapū were affected, what is the economic situation of that community today? Treaty settlement data by iwi provides rich material for economic analysis. Differentiate by scaffolding economic concepts with visual models and personal-to-systemic frameworks for students who need support with systems thinking.
Assessment Overview
- ☐ Economic systems analysis — who wins and loses in Aotearoa's current economy
- ☐ Māori economic model comparison — tūāhuatanga vs capitalist frameworks
- ☐ Colonisation case study — economic impacts in a specific rohe
- ☐ Contemporary resistance analysis — one Māori economic entity profiled
- ☐ Community economic design project — alternative model proposal grounded in rangatiratanga