Kaitiaki Tikanga: Tēnā koutou. In our culture, words are not just sounds. They are taonga—treasures. They have the power to build, to heal, to create relationships, and to enhance mana. But like any taonga, they can be mishandled. Today, we explore how we care for this treasure online.
Kaitiaki Hauora: And when this taonga is mishandled, it can cause real harm to our Taha Hinengaro, our mental and emotional well-being. The whakataukī for today reminds us that words can strike deeper than any weapon. Let's learn how to both protect ourselves and use our own words with care.
Knowledge (Māramatanga)
- Understand the concept of kōrero (words) as taonga (treasures).
- Identify different communication styles online (e.g., constructive, destructive, passive).
- Recognise the impact of online communication on Taha Hinengaro.
Skills (Pūkenga)
- Analyse the intent and impact of different online comments.
- Differentiate between debate/disagreement and personal attacks.
- Articulate the emotional effect of specific words and phrases.
Values (Wairuatanga)
- Value the importance of using words carefully and respectfully (manaakitanga).
- Develop empathy for those on the receiving end of harmful communication.
- Feel empowered to choose a constructive communication style.
Media Anchor | Watch & Discuss (10 minutes)
Video Anchor: Gender Shades: Algorithmic Bias
Use this source to examine how language, labels, and automated systems can amplify harm.
- How can words and labels become taonga instead of tools of harm in digital spaces?
- What communication tikanga should guide your class kōrero online?
Whakatūwhera | Weighing our Words (15 minutes)
Main Activity: The Word Spectrum
- Setup (5 mins): The teacher creates a spectrum line across the classroom floor (e.g., with a rope or tape). One end is labelled "Builds Mana," the other is "Damages Mana."
- Activity (10 mins): The teacher reads out simple online comments (e.g., "You're wrong," "I disagree, and here's why," "lol u suck," "Great idea!"). After each comment, students physically place themselves on the spectrum where they think the comment belongs. A brief discussion follows each one.
Main Learning | The Kōrero Circle (35 minutes)
Main Activity: Analysing the Taonga
- Setup (5 mins): Students are organised into small groups. Each group receives a set of 'Kōrero Analysis Cards'.
- Group Analysis (20 mins): Each card contains a short, anonymous online scenario (a comment on a video, a post, etc.). For each card, the group discusses and answers the analysis questions:
- What is the mana of this kōrero (the feeling/power of the words)?
- What might be the intent of the person who wrote it?
- What is the likely impact on the Taha Hinengaro of the person receiving it?
- How could this kōrero be rephrased to be more constructive?
- Sharing Insights (10 mins): Each group shares the most interesting or challenging scenario they discussed and what they learned from it.
Consolidation | Crafting our Kōrero (20 minutes)
Main Activity: The Mana-Enhancing Reply
- The Challenge (15 mins): Each group chooses one of the negative scenarios from their cards. Their challenge is to write a reply that does three things:
- Does not escalate the conflict.
- Protects their own mana and well-being.
- Models a more constructive way to communicate.
- Sharing Replies (5 mins): A few groups share their crafted replies. The class discusses what makes them effective.
Whakakapi | The Choice of a Rangatira (5 minutes)
Main Activity: Final Thought
- Kaitiaki Tikanga concludes: "A rangatira—a chief, a leader—is known by the quality of their kōrero. They choose their words with care because they know their power. The way you communicate online is a choice. You choose whether to damage mana or to build it. That is the choice of a rangatira."
Curriculum alignment
- Relationships — Practices: Practising strategies like clear communication, identifying pressure, and challenging disrespectful behaviour to protect relationships and emotional safety
- Text Studies — Practices: Text specifications — Text complexity: - Texts should be of varying lengths with appropriate complexity, including sentences of different lengths and layers of meaning. - Incl…
- Language Studies — Practices: Text specifications — Text complexity: - Texts should be of varying lengths with appropriate complexity, including sentences of different lengths and layers of meaning. - Incl…
- Text Studies — Practices: Texts should be of varying lengths, have an appropriate level of complexity, and include:words and phrases with multiple meanings that require students to know and use effecti…
- Language Studies — Practices: Texts should be of varying lengths, have an appropriate level of complexity, and include:words and phrases with multiple meanings that require students to know and use effecti…
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will engage with this resource to explore digital kaitiakitanga — applying tikanga Māori principles of guardianship, manaakitanga, and whanaungatanga to their digital lives, spaces, and technologies.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can explain how kaitiakitanga applies to digital environments and online communities.
- ✅ Students can connect tikanga Māori values to ethical decision-making in digital contexts.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide sentence starters and visual frameworks to scaffold access at the entry level. Offer extension tasks that deepen ethical analysis — for example, comparing digital tikanga principles to international AI ethics frameworks.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key kupu (kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, tikanga) with bilingual glossaries. Allow students to express ideas in their home language first before translating to English.
Inclusion: Chunk tasks and provide clear visual instructions. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured choice in how they demonstrate understanding (e.g., verbal, written, or visual). Affirm diverse digital experiences as valid starting points.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Digital kaitiakitanga frames technology through Te Ao Māori — our digital spaces are extensions of our marae, our data is part of our whakapapa, and our online behaviour reflects our mana. Tikanga Māori provides a powerful ethical compass for navigating the digital world.
Prior knowledge: No specialist digital technology knowledge required for entry-level engagement. Best used after introductory lessons on tikanga Māori or as part of a digital technologies unit.
Curriculum alignment
- Te Mātaiaho (2025) · Technology · Phase 4 (Years 9–10) · Design, Make, and Innovate (Knowledge): “Legal and ethical frameworks (privacy, licensing, attribution, consent) guide responsible and safe digital outcomes in local contexts.”
- NZC (2007) · Technology · Level 5: “Understand how people’s perceptions and acceptance of technology impact on technological developments and how and why technological knowledge becomes codified.”