In 1975, many Māori were angry that their land was still being taken and sold. Whina Cooper, who was nearly 80 years old, led a huge march (a hīkoi) from the Far North to Parliament in Wellington. Their message was "Not one more acre of Māori land should be sold." The march brought huge attention to the issue of Māori land rights.
In 1981, the South African rugby team, the Springboks, toured New Zealand. At the time, South Africa had a racist system called Apartheid. Huge protests were organised across NZ to stop the games. Protestors felt it was wrong to play sports with a country that had such an unfair system. The country was divided, but the protests sent a powerful message against racism.
Bastion Point (Takaparawhau) is important land in Auckland for the iwi Ngāti Whātua. The government had taken most of it over many years. In 1977, protestors occupied the land for 507 days to stop it from being sold for expensive housing. Although the protestors were arrested, the protest raised public awareness, and the land was eventually returned to Ngāti Whātua.
Purpose: Use these jigsaw reading case studies to expose students to diverse forms of civic protest and help them evaluate different protest strategies.
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.
Tangata whenua have used hikoi, rāhui, and formal petitions to assert rights and protect whenua. The Ihumatao case study powerfully connects historical land loss to contemporary activism.
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.