Years 0–3: what helps, what harms
Tamariki say one thing that helps their place and one that harms it.
- Years 0–3 move: A helps/harms pair, in their own words
- Evidence it produces: One help and one harm, named
Lesson 3: How We Care - Me Pēhea Tātou e Tiaki
Learning About Kaitiakitanga and Caring Actions
Students learn about kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and explore practical ways to care for their environment, identifying problems and solutions.
Whakatūwhera - Cultural Opening
Kaitiakitanga means being a guardian or caretaker. In Te Ao Māori, we have a responsibility to care for our place - the land (whenua), water (wai), and all living things. When we care for our place, we care for ourselves and future generations. Today we will learn how to be kaitiaki.
A guiding line for this unit: "Tiaki i te taiao, tiaki i a tātou"
🪶 Kaiako: this line was written for this unit. It is not a traditional whakataukī and carries no attribution, so it is presented as a guiding line rather than as inherited knowledge. If you have an attested whakataukī for kaitiakitanga from your rohe, or can source one with kaiako Māori or kaumātua, use that instead.
Care for the environment, care for ourselves - we are all kaitiaki (guardians).
Ngā Whāinga Ako - Learning Intentions
Students Will Learn
- What kaitiakitanga means
- How to identify problems in their environment
- Ways to care for their place
- That we all have a responsibility to care
Students Will Demonstrate
- Understanding of kaitiakitanga
- Identifying caring actions
- Creating a kaitiaki promise
- Planning how to care for their place
🎬 Kaiako background — not for tamariki
Turning the Tide | Episode 2: Mātauranga-Led Restoration · RNZ · 12 min 10 s. An RNZ documentary episode made for an adult audience. Watch it before the lesson for the restoration knowledge, then teach from it in your own words.
- Before the lesson: pick one restoration idea from the episode and put it into words a five-year-old would use.
- With tamariki: do not screen it. Tell them in one sentence one thing people did to help a place get better, then run the two-hands circle below.
Two Hands: What Helps, What Harms (10 mins)
What kaiako does: Take the class to one place in the school grounds they all know — the gate, the sandpit, the garden bed, the tap. Stand in it. Say: "This is our place. Some things make it better. Some things make it worse." Then model both, about yourself and never about a child: "When I tip my cold tea on the garden, that helps the rākau. When I leave the tap running, that wastes the wai."
What tamariki do: Each child holds up two hands. One hand is something that helps this place; the other is something that harms it. Going round the circle, each child says both and points at the spot they mean. Back inside they fold a page in half, draw the two, and label each with one kupu they know — tiaki, wai, rākau, manu, paru.
How you would know it worked: Every child names a help and a harm about a place they can point at. Two things to listen for: a child who only talks about rubbish — prompt with "what about the plants? what about the manu?"; and a child naming a harm somebody else did — turn it round with "what could you do about it?" The point is the pair, not the blame.
- Support: Offer two pictures and ask which one helps. Then ask why, in one word.
- Extension: Ask who else the help is good for — a manu, a ngāngara, the next class.
- Inclusive: A child can point instead of speaking, or say it in whichever language is easiest at home.
Ngā Mahi - Lesson Activities (45-60 minutes)
1. What is Kaitiakitanga? (10 mins)
Discussion: Ask students: "What does it mean to care for something? Who takes care of you? How do you take care of pets or plants?"
Kaitiakitanga Means:
- Kaitiaki: Guardian or caretaker
- Tiaki: To care for, to protect
- Manaaki: To look after, to support
- Responsibility: It's our job to care
- Support: Use simple examples: "We care for our classroom, we care for our pets"
- Extension: Students explain why caring for the environment matters for future generations
- Inclusive: Connect to students' own experiences of caring and being cared for
2. Looking for Problems (15 mins)
Observation: Take students outside or look at photos. Ask: "What needs our help? What could be better?"
Things That Might Need Care:
- Litter or rubbish (paru)
- Plants that need water (wai)
- Areas that need cleaning
- Places where animals need help
- Spaces that could be more beautiful
- Support: Use picture cards showing "needs help" vs "looks good". Work in pairs.
- Extension: Students identify specific problems and suggest solutions.
- Physical Needs: Can observe from classroom window or use photos/videos.
3. How Can We Care? (15 mins)
Brainstorming: As a class, brainstorm ways to care for our place.
Caring Actions:
- Pick up litter: Keep our place clean
- Water plants: Help plants grow
- Plant seeds: Grow new plants
- Feed birds: Help animals
- Recycle: Use things again
- Be gentle: Don't hurt living things
Connection Activity:
Ask: "Which of these can we do at school? Which can we do at home? What else can we do to be kaitiaki?"
- Support: Use picture cards showing caring actions. Students can point to what they can do.
- Extension: Students create a detailed plan for one caring action.
- Inclusive: All students can participate in some caring action, adapted to their abilities.
4. Creating Our Kaitiaki Promise (10-15 mins)
Creative Project: Students create a kaitiaki promise poster showing how they will care for their place.
Promise Options:
- Drawing: Draw themselves doing a caring action
- Writing: Write "I promise to..." statements
- Poster: Create a colourful poster with their promise
- Collage: Use pictures and words
Example Promises:
"I promise to pick up litter" / "Ka tiaki ahau i te taiao" (I will care for the environment)
- Support: Provide sentence starters: "I promise to..." Use templates.
- Extension: Write detailed promises with multiple actions.
- Creative: Allow various formats - posters, cards, drawings with captions.
Aromatawai - Assessment & Next Steps
Formative Assessment
- Understanding: Do students understand kaitiakitanga?
- Identification: Can they identify problems and solutions?
- Engagement: Are they participating in caring discussions?
- Promise: Do their kaitiaki promises show understanding?
Homework & Extension
- Home Care: Do one caring action at home - pick up litter, water a plant
- Whānau Share: Show family your kaitiaki promise and explain it
- Observation: Look around your home - what needs care?
- Practice: Practise saying "kaitiaki" (guardian), "tiaki" (to care)
Whakaaro - Reflection
Today we learned about kaitiakitanga - being guardians who care for our place. We all have a responsibility to look after our environment. When we care for our place, we care for ourselves and future generations. Next time, we will put our learning into action and actually do caring things for our place.
A guiding line for this unit: "Tiaki i te taiao, tiaki i a tātou" - When we care for the environment, we care for ourselves.
Curriculum alignment
- Text Studies — Knowledge: Communication for Learning — Knowledge (Phase 1): - Words can be used to ask for help, share needs, and express preferences (e.g., 'can you help me please?', 'I like this …').…
- Language Studies — Knowledge: Communication for Learning — Knowledge (Phase 1): - Words can be used to ask for help, share needs, and express preferences (e.g., 'can you help me please?', 'I like this …').…
- Text Studies — Knowledge: Communication for Learning — Knowledge (Phase 1): - Words can be used to ask for help, share needs, and express preferences (e.g., 'can you help me please?', 'I like this …').…
- Language Studies — Knowledge: Communication for Learning — Knowledge (Phase 1): - Words can be used to ask for help, share needs, and express preferences (e.g., 'can you help me please?', 'I like this …').…
- Text Studies — Knowledge: Discussions have different purposes (e.g. sharing ideas, asking questions, giving feedback, and solving problems) and ways of participating (e.g. offering suggestions or opini…