Unit 5: Global Indigenous Solidarity

Transnational Movements & Shared Struggles

An 8–10 week unit exploring how Māori sovereignty connects to global Indigenous liberation movements — examining shared histories of colonisation, transnational networks of resistance, and collaborative work across borders.

Unit Overview Map

Week	Lesson	Focus	Assessment
1–2	Indigenous Worldviews	Te ao Māori, comparative cosmologies	Worldview comparison
3–4	Global Colonialism	Shared colonial patterns and impacts	Colonial comparison study
5–6	Resistance Networks	UNDRIP, transnational solidarity movements	Movement analysis
7–8	Climate Justice	Māori/Pacific frontline, kaitiakitanga	Position paper
9–10	Building Solidarity	Authentic whakawhanaungatanga in action	Solidarity action project

NZ Curriculum — Social Sciences

"Human rights as protections of dignity, freedom, and equality. Protected through, for example: the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)."

Phase 4 | Social Sciences

Learning Objectives (Whāinga Ako)

Identify shared patterns of colonialism affecting Māori and other Indigenous peoples globally
Analyse how UNDRIP and international frameworks protect and advance Māori and Indigenous rights
Examine transnational Indigenous solidarity networks and how they amplify resistance
Connect Māori sovereignty movements to global Indigenous liberation struggles
Evaluate climate justice as a Māori and Pacific rights issue with global solidarity dimensions

Unit Journey — Week by Week

Weeks 1–2: Indigenous Worldviews

Starting from te ao Māori, students compare worldviews across Indigenous cultures — exploring shared values: relational identity, land as tūpuna, collective responsibility, and spiritual dimensions of kaitiakitanga. Whakapapa is examined alongside similar kinship-based governance systems.

Weeks 3–4: Global Colonialism

Students compare colonial methods across regions — land confiscation, assimilation policies, language suppression — recognising these as deliberate systems rather than isolated events. The parallels with the Māori colonial experience deepen understanding of shared struggle.

Weeks 5–6: Resistance Networks

Students map the emergence of global Indigenous solidarity — from early Māori international advocacy through to contemporary movements like Standing Rock and Idle No More. UNDRIP (2007) is examined as a collective achievement built on decades of Indigenous diplomacy.

Weeks 7–8: Climate Justice

Students examine how climate change disproportionately impacts Māori and Pacific communities, and how Pacific Climate Warriors and Māori land protectors connect environmental protection to rangatiratanga. The Pacific talanoa tradition is explored as a solidarity model.

Weeks 9–10: Building Solidarity

Students design solidarity action projects — connecting with local iwi, Pacific communities, or global Indigenous movements. Projects centre authentic whakawhanaungatanga over performative allyship, drawing on the unit's study of what effective solidarity looks like in practice.

Kaiako Notes (Teacher Guidance)

This unit works best when it begins close to home — the Māori experience of colonisation and Te Tiriti o Waitangi — before expanding outward to global contexts. Students are more engaged with global Indigenous solidarity when they can see the parallels with their own community's history and whakapapa.

Invite local iwi and Pacific community members to contribute, particularly for the worldviews and resistance lessons. First-person accounts of solidarity movements — students whose whānau marched at Bastion Point, or whose Pacific relatives are facing climate displacement — ground the content in lived experience.

The climate justice component is particularly relevant for ākonga with Pacific connections. Ensure these voices are centred rather than treated as external. Many NZ students have direct whānau connections to Pacific communities on the frontline of climate displacement. Differentiate by providing structured comparison frameworks, and allow students to go deep on one region rather than covering all superficially.

Assessment Overview

☐ Worldview comparison — te ao Māori plus one other Indigenous people's cosmology
☐ Colonial comparison study — shared methods and impacts across two contexts
☐ Resistance network analysis — one transnational movement from origins to present
☐ Climate justice position — a specific Māori or Pacific community's frontline experience
☐ Solidarity action project — authentic connection to an iwi or Indigenous-led movement