Lesson 1: He Whānau Kotahi — A Family of Peoples
How Māori connect with Indigenous peoples across the world
Duration: 60 minutes | Year level: Years 7–8 | Subject: Social Studies / Tikanga-ā-Iwi
Lesson at a Glance
"E kore au e ngaro, he kākano i ruia mai i Rangiātea" — I will never be lost, for I am a seed sown from Rangiātea.
Māori are not alone in the world. Right across the Pacific and beyond, there are other Indigenous peoples — peoples who belong to their land, who pass down stories from their tūpuna, and who care for one another as whānau. In this lesson we start close to home: who you are connected to. Then we discover that Māori share deep values with Indigenous peoples on the other side of the ocean.
What We Are Learning (Ngā Whāinga Ako)
I am learning to…
- describe who I am connected to — my whānau, my community, and where they come from
- name some Indigenous peoples that Māori are connected to, and where in the world they live
- identify values that Māori share with other Indigenous peoples
I will know I can do this when…
- I can point to two Indigenous peoples on a map and say one thing we share
- I can explain what whanaungatanga means, using my own example
- I can finish the sentence "Māori and ______ both believe that ______."
Lesson Structure
Do Now: Ko wai koe? (10 minutes)
Who are you connected to?
On your own, draw a simple map of your connections. In the middle, write your name. Around it, add:
- the people you belong to — your whānau, your friends, your class
- the places your family comes from — your marae, your town, or another country
- one thing your family always does together (a food, a song, a celebration, a way of helping each other)
Share one connection with the person next to you. Big idea: everyone belongs to a bigger group. Today we find out that Māori belong to a big family of peoples all around the world.
Activity 1: A Family of Peoples (20 minutes)
Long before ships from Europe arrived, Māori tūpuna were some of the greatest ocean travellers in history. They sailed waka hourua (double-hulled voyaging canoes) thousands of kilometres across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, the Pacific Ocean — reading the stars, the waves, and the birds. The peoples of the Pacific — in Hawai‘i, Sāmoa, Tahiti, Rarotonga, and Rapa Nui — are Māori's closest relatives. We are one big family who share tūpuna, and you can still hear it in our languages.
Kupu Tākoha — words we share
With a partner, read these words out loud. What do you notice?
| Meaning | Māori | Hawaiian | Sāmoan |
|---|---|---|---|
| person | tangata | kanaka | tagata |
| sky / heavens | rangi | lani | lagi |
| land | whenua | honua | fanua |
| house | whare | hale | fale |
Talk about it: the words are different, but they came from the same old language. What does that tell us about how these peoples are connected?
Activity 2: Ngā Uara — Values We Share (15 minutes)
Māori and our relative peoples don't just share words — we share values (uara): the things we believe are important about how to live. Here are three. As a class, read each one and think of an example from your own life.
Whanaungatanga
Family and belonging. We look after the people we are connected to — and that family can stretch right across the ocean.
Manaakitanga
Caring for others. We welcome manuhiri (visitors) and make sure people are fed, safe, and respected.
Kaitiakitanga
Looking after the land and sea. The whenua and moana are like family, so we care for them for the people who come after us.
Quick pair-share: which of these three values do you see in your own whānau? Give one real example.
Activity 3: Us and the Kānaka Maoli of Hawai‘i (10 minutes)
Let's look closely at one of our relative peoples: the Kānaka Maoli, the Indigenous people of Hawai‘i. Fill in the table with a partner. The first row is done for you.
| Something we share | Māori (Aotearoa) | Kānaka Maoli (Hawai‘i) |
|---|---|---|
| A word for "land" | whenua | honua |
| We belong to our land | Write one way Māori show this: ______ | They call the land their ancestor too: ______ |
| Family is important | ______ | ______ |
Sentence starter to finish: "Māori and the Kānaka Maoli both believe that ______."
Whakamutunga — Wrap-up (5 minutes)
Exit ticket — finish these:
- One Indigenous people that Māori are connected to is ______.
- One value Māori share with them is ______.
- Being connected to other peoples matters because ______.
Next lesson:
We follow the waka further out — meeting Indigenous peoples beyond the Pacific, and finding out how peoples on opposite sides of the world help each other today.
Assessment & Differentiation
How to check learning (formative)
- Connection map (Do Now): can the student name people and places they belong to?
- Kupu tākoha table: can they notice that the shared words show a shared past?
- Pair-share on values: can they give a real example of whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, or kaitiakitanga?
- Hawai‘i table + exit ticket: can they name one shared value and why connection matters?
Differentiation (Years 7–8)
- Need more support: give the sentence starters already begun; let students draw or say answers instead of writing; pre-fill more of the Hawai‘i table.
- Ready for more: add a fourth relative people (Rapa Nui or Tahiti) to the word table and find one more shared word.
- ELL / ESOL: the kupu tākoha table is a strength here — invite students to add a "land / house" word from their own home language.
- Belonging: every student's connections are valid — those with family overseas are already living proof of the lesson's big idea.
Resources & Cultural Protocols
Required Resources:
- Cultural research materials (books, videos, websites)
- Chart paper and markers for values web
- Comparison chart templates
- Exit ticket slips
Cultural Protocols:
- Approach all cultures with respect and humility
- Avoid stereotyping or oversimplification
- Acknowledge limitations of outside perspectives
- Centre Indigenous voices and sources when possible
Important Note:
This lesson aims to build understanding and respect for Indigenous worldviews while avoiding cultural appropriation. Students should understand they are learning about these cultures, not attempting to adopt or practice them.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
This is the opening lesson of a Years 7–8 unit on how Māori are connected to Indigenous peoples across the world. Students start from their own sense of belonging, then discover that Māori share ancestry, language, and values with other Pacific and Indigenous peoples. The lesson builds the ideas of whanaungatanga (kinship that reaches across the ocean) and shared values that later lessons return to.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ I can describe some of the people and places I am connected to.
- ✅ I can name at least one Indigenous people that Māori are connected to, and point to where they live.
- ✅ I can name a value Māori share with another Indigenous people and give an example.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: the sentence starters and the partly-filled Hawai‘i table do the heavy lifting. Let students draw or talk their answers before writing. Keep the connection map open all lesson so students can add to it.
ELL / ESOL: the shared-words table is a natural entry point — invite students to add a word for "land" or "house" from their own home language and compare. Allow home-language talk before English writing.
Inclusion: use the map and read the kupu aloud so the concepts are concrete, not just text. Neurodiverse learners do well with the clear three-step shape (me → my relatives → one other people) and a choice of how to show their answer.
Mātauranga Māori lens: the waka hourua is the heart of this lesson — Polynesian voyaging is proof that Māori tūpuna were connected to the wider world by choice and skill, not isolated. Whanaungatanga is framed as kinship that stretches across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, and manaakitanga as how we treat the peoples we are connected to.
Prior knowledge: none required. Works as the first lesson of the unit.
Curriculum alignment
- Social Studies / Tikanga-ā-Iwi — Phase 3 (Years 7–8): connections between peoples and places, and how identity and belonging are shaped by the groups we are part of. (Verbatim Te Mātaiaho statement to be confirmed by the curriculum verification lane — cited here at learning-area + phase level.)