Newspaper Headline Cards — HIS 2.3 Lesson 1

Ngā Pepa Karere — Newspaper Headline Cards

HIS 2.3 · Lesson 1 · 1981 Springbok Tour · Cut apart one set per group of 3

✂️ Kaiako preparation: Print one sheet per group of three students. Cut along the dashed lines. Each group receives all six cards. Students use the P·E·E Graphic Organiser to analyse each headline.

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New Zealand Herald July 25, 1981

"Protesters Attack Sacred Rugby Heritage — Police Step In to Restore Order"

P: Who wrote this? What is their perspective?
E: What words reveal it? Circle them.
E: Why would this publication see it this way?

Auckland Star July 25, 1981

"Citizens Stand Against Apartheid: Thousands March in Auckland Streets"

P: Who wrote this? What is their perspective?
E: What words reveal it? Circle them.
E: Why would this publication see it this way?

Te Māori News (Community Newsletter) August 1981

"Our Land, Our Struggle — The Springbok Tour Is a Māori Issue Too"

P: Who wrote this? What is their perspective?
E: What words reveal it? Circle them.
E: Why would this community see a connection between apartheid and Māori rights?

Waikato Times July 20, 1981

"Muldoon Government Defends Tour: 'Sport and Politics Must Be Kept Separate'"

P: Who wrote this? Whose view does it represent?
E: What is the government's stated reason? Is this the full story?
E: What political pressures shaped this perspective?

Pacific Community Voice August 1981

"Pasifika Families Stand Divided — Some March, Others Fear Violence in the Streets"

P: What does this headline reveal about Pasifika community perspectives?
E: What specific contrast is shown?
E: Why might a community be divided on this issue — what were their different concerns?

Otago Daily Times July 1981

"Just Let Them Play Rugby — The Majority Just Want Their Sport"

P: Who does this headline speak for?
E: What is their position? What words reveal it?
E: What concerns or values shaped this perspective? Is "apolitical" itself a political position?

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Kaiako Notes — Using These Cards:

Cards 1 & 2 provide the clearest initial contrast — assign these to groups who need structured support.
Card 3 is the richest for Merit/Excellence discussion — connects apartheid to Māori land rights. Assign to confident groups.
Card 5 complicates the "two sides" narrative — excellent for the whakahōhonu (extension) discussion about why perspectives are not monolithic.
Card 6 introduces the concept of "apolitical as political" — advanced concept, good for extension.
Headlines are representative of real perspectives of the time but are not direct quotations from actual articles. If students want primary sources, direct them to the National Library's Papers Past database (paperspast.natlib.govt.nz).

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions

Students will engage with this resource to develop NCEA Level 2 historical thinking skills — examining how and why different groups held distinct perspectives on significant events in Aotearoa New Zealand's past, and constructing analytical essays using the PEE (Point–Evidence–Explanation) framework.

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

✅ Students can identify the values, beliefs, and circumstances that shaped the perspectives of different historical groups.
✅ Students can construct a well-evidenced analytical essay that moves beyond description to explain why perspectives were irreconcilable.

Differentiation & Inclusion

Scaffold support: Provide PEE sentence frames and perspective analysis templates for entry-level access. Students new to historical essay writing benefit from annotated exemplars showing the difference between describing and explaining a perspective. Extend capable writers by asking them to explain the enduring significance of the perspective clash — why does it still shape Aotearoa today?

ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key historical vocabulary (perspective, corroboration, reliability, significance, agency) with visual glossaries. Allow oral explanation of perspective analysis before written essay drafts. Sentence starters and argument frames lower the language barrier without reducing the historical thinking demand.

Inclusion: Essay writing is cognitively demanding — chunk the process across multiple sessions with formative checkpoints. Neurodiverse learners benefit from explicit essay structure guides and colour-coded paragraph planning. Oral history discussion forums are a valid alternative assessment pathway for students who need them.

Mātauranga Māori lens: This achievement standard centres events where Māori perspectives have historically been marginalised or misrepresented. Placing tangata whenua perspectives as the primary lens — not as "the other side" — is an act of historical justice. Whakapapa provides a framework for understanding why events like the NZ Wars, land confiscations, and the Dawn Raids were not isolated incidents but linked expressions of colonial power. Tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake frame what was at stake. Students develop empathy and critical historical consciousness together.

Prior knowledge: Students should have foundational knowledge of the relevant historical events (NZ Wars, Treaty of Waitangi, Dawn Raids, or other case study). Familiarity with the PEE structure supports engagement with essay-focused resources.

Curriculum alignment

NCEA Level 2 History —: Examine the causes and consequences of a significant historical event, examining how different groups' perspectives shaped and were shaped by the event.

Identity, Culture, and Organisation: Understand how the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles shape participation, rights, and responsibilities in Aotearoa New Zealand.