In New Zealand, citizens over 18 vote every three years to elect members to Parliament. The political party with the most members, or a coalition of parties, forms the government and chooses the Prime Minister. There are many different political parties, and people are free to criticize the government and protest peacefully. The laws, created by Parliament, apply to everyone, including the Prime Minister. News media is independent and can report on anything it chooses.
Analysis Questions:
Emperor Nero ruled the Roman Empire with absolute authority. He was not elected and his power was for life. He could create laws, declare war, and order executions without trial. Senators and officials served at his pleasure and could be removed or killed if they displeased him. There was no freedom of speech; criticizing the Emperor was considered treason and was punishable by death. The Emperor controlled the military and used it to enforce his rule and crush any opposition.
Analysis Questions:
Purpose: Use these case studies to support Lesson 2.1's comparative analysis of democratic and non-democratic governance systems.
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.
Differentiation: Provide sentence starters or word banks for students who need scaffold support. 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.