Resource 5.2A: Decolonised Design Template

1. Whakapapa (Relationships & Connections)

Guiding Question: How does your system honour relationships between people, land, and future generations?

2. Mana (Authority & Responsibility)

Guiding Question: How does your system distribute power and ensure community voices are heard?

3. Kaitiakitanga (Guardianship)

Guiding Question: How does your system protect resources and ensure sustainability for seven generations?

4. Kotahitanga (Unity & Consensus)

Guiding Question: How does your system bring people together and seek shared understanding?

5. Utu (Balance & Justice)

Guiding Question: How does your system restore balance when things go wrong?

6. Mauri (Life Force & Wellbeing)

Guiding Question: How does your system support the wellbeing of all living things?

📚 Teacher Resource Notes

Purpose: Scaffold students' society design using a template grounded in decolonised and indigenous design principles.

Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions

Students will engage with this resource to build understanding of systems, governance, and civic action in Aotearoa New Zealand, connecting to Te Ao Māori principles.

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

✅ Students can identify at least three ways their society design incorporates indigenous values.

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Differentiation: Provide sentence starters or word banks for students needing scaffolding. Extend capable learners by asking them to find a real-world NZ example connected to this resource. Support ELL students with vocabulary pre-teaching. Adapt for neurodiverse learners by offering choice in how they record their thinking.

Prior knowledge: Best used after the relevant lesson or as an introductory hook. No specialist prior knowledge required.

Curriculum alignment

Te Mātaiaho (2025) · Social Sciences · Phase 3 (Years 7–8) · Civics and Society (Knowledge): “A constitution sets out the rules for how a country is governed.”
Te Mātaiaho (2025) · Social Sciences · Phase 3 (Years 7–8) · Civics and Society (Knowledge): “Types of government include parliamentary democracy (e.g. New Zealand), monarchy (e.g. Tonga), dictatorship (e.g. North Korea), and federal democracy (e.g. Australia, United States).”
NZC (2007) · Social Studies · Level 4: “Understand how formal and informal groups make decisions that impact on communities.”
NZC (2007) · Social Studies · Level 4: “Understand how people participate individually and collectively in response to community challenges.”