Unit 4, Lesson 1: Understanding Economic Systems
Who Wins and Who Loses in Our Current System?
Duration: 60 minutes | Year Level: 9-13 | Subject: Social Sciences, Economics
Enrichment Suggestion (LF_Te_Ao_Māori): Embed a relevant karakia tīmatanga (opening prayer) at the beginning of the lesson to appropriately frame the sacredness of the mātauranga being shared.
Learning Objectives (Whāinga Ako)
"Kua tawhiti kē to haere mai ai" - You have come too far to turn back now
Students will understand:
- How economic systems affect daily life
- The difference between wealth and income
- Who benefits from current economic structures
- How economic inequality is created and maintained
Students will be able to:
- Analyze economic data critically
- Map their own economic reality
- Question dominant economic narratives
- Connect personal experiences to larger systems
Lesson Structure
Do Now Activity (10 minutes)
Economic Reality Check
Students individually complete a quick survey about their economic reality:
- Do you have a part-time job? How much do you earn per week?
- What does your family spend the most money on each month?
- What economic decisions has your family had to make recently?
- How do you think the current economic system affects your future plans?
Purpose: Activate prior knowledge and personal connection to economic systems.
Activity 1: Economic Systems Mapping (15 minutes)
Instructions:
- In pairs, students create a mind map showing how the economy affects their daily lives
- Include: housing, food, transport, education, entertainment, future plans
- Use different colors to show: things they can control vs. things they cannot
- Add arrows showing cause and effect relationships
Key Questions:
- What economic forces shape your daily choices?
- Which economic decisions feel out of your control?
- How do economic factors affect your stress levels?
- What would change if you had more/less money?
Activity 2: Data Detective - Housing Crisis Analysis (20 minutes)
Resource Integration:
Use the Housing Affordability Crisis handout for this activity
Investigation Process:
- Students read housing crisis data and statistics
- Identify who benefits from high housing costs
- Analyze government policy responses
- Connect to their own housing situations
Critical Analysis Questions:
- Who makes money when house prices rise?
- Why might some people want high house prices?
- How does housing affect educational opportunities?
- What solutions would help young people?
Activity 3: Economic Winners and Losers Gallery Walk (10 minutes)
Setup:
Place scenario cards around the room showing different economic situations in Aotearoa New Zealand
Scenario A:
Property investor with 5 rental properties
Scenario B:
Minimum wage worker living paycheck to paycheck
Scenario C:
Recent university graduate with student debt
Scenario D:
Small business owner during economic uncertainty
Students rotate through scenarios, discussing how current economic systems help or harm each person.
Wrap-up & Reflection (5 minutes)
Exit Ticket Questions:
- Name one way the current economic system benefits you
- Name one way it creates challenges for you
- What's one economic fact that surprised you today?
- What's one question you want to explore further?
Next Lesson Preview:
We'll dive deeper into wealth vs. income and explore how wealth is really accumulated and distributed in our society.
Assessment & Differentiation
Formative Assessment
- Do Now responses: Understanding of personal economic connections
- Mind mapping: Ability to identify economic relationships
- Data analysis: Critical thinking about housing crisis
- Gallery walk discussions: Empathy and systems thinking
- Exit tickets: Synthesis and question generation
Differentiation Strategies
- Visual learners: Mind mapping and graphic organizers
- Kinesthetic learners: Gallery walk and movement activities
- Advanced students: Additional economic data analysis
- Struggling readers: Partner support and visual aids
- ELL students: Translated key terms and peer support
Resources & Homework
Required Resources:
- Chart paper and markers for mind mapping
- Housing Affordability Crisis handout (linked above)
- Economic scenario cards (teacher preparation)
- Exit ticket slips
Homework/Extension:
- Interview a family member about an economic decision they've made
- Find one news article about economic inequality in NZ
- Read: Financial Literacy handout (preparation for next lesson)
- Optional: Research one economic policy affecting young people
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students examine economic systems through a justice lens — exploring how wealth, resources, and power are distributed, and how Māori economic frameworks (Ōhanga Māori, tino rangatiratanga) offer alternative models of collective wellbeing.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Can analyse an economic system to identify who benefits and who is disadvantaged
- ✅ Explains how Ōhanga Māori and tino rangatiratanga challenge mainstream economic assumptions
- ✅ Proposes justice-centred economic alternatives grounded in manaakitanga and whanaungatanga
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide graphic organisers as an entry point for comparing economic systems; use real local examples (Raglan, Waikato) to ground abstract concepts. Extension tasks include researching iwi economic models or analysing a current policy through a rangatiratanga lens.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach economic vocabulary alongside Māori equivalents (e.g. Ōhanga Māori/Māori economy, manaakitanga/hospitality-as-value); use visual case studies to reduce text load.
Inclusion: Offer discussion, written, and creative response options; neurodiverse learners benefit from structured debate formats and clear role assignments in group tasks.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Ōhanga Māori as a living economic system — not historical. Manaakitanga and whanaungatanga as economic principles. Tino rangatiratanga as the right of self-determination including economic sovereignty.
Prior knowledge: Basic understanding of supply/demand; awareness of historical land confiscations and Treaty settlements.