A Message from Kaitiaki Tikanga: Tēnā koutou, young navigators. I am Kaitiaki Tikanga, your guide through the deep currents of culture and connection. Today, we ask a vital question: in this vast digital ocean, where is our land? Where is our 'whenua'? Whenua is more than just a place; it is where we stand, where we belong, and from where we draw our strength. Let us find our digital whenua together.
Knowledge (Māramatanga)
- Define 'whenua' in both a physical and digital context.
- Identify different types of digital spaces (e.g., public, private, community).
- Understand that different spaces have different purposes and levels of safety.
Skills (Pūkenga)
- Reflect on and articulate feelings of belonging and safety in online spaces.
- Visually map their personal digital ecosystem.
- Categorise digital spaces based on their function and feeling.
Values (Wairuatanga)
- Appreciate the importance of having safe and positive online spaces.
- Recognise that 'belonging' is a fundamental need, both online and off.
- Develop a sense of responsibility for the digital places they inhabit.
Media Anchor | Watch & Discuss (10 minutes)
Video Anchor: Māori Systems: Kaitiakitanga
Use this clip to connect whenua, belonging, and guardianship to students' digital environments.
- Which ideas from kaitiakitanga apply directly to the digital spaces you use every day?
- What does responsible guardianship look like in a shared online space?
Whakatūwhera | Opening (15 minutes)
Main Activity: Defining Our Turangawaewae
- Think-Pair-Share (5 mins): Students consider the question: "Where is your turangawaewae - your place to stand? Describe a physical place where you feel strong, safe, and like you belong."
- Class Discussion (10 mins): As a class, create a mind map of words associated with these places (e.g., "home," "marae," "skate park"). Discuss why these places feel safe. The teacher introduces the concept of 'whenua' as the foundation of belonging.
Main Learning | Mapping Our Digital Whenua (35 minutes)
Main Activity: My Digital Whenua Map
- Introduction (5 mins): Explain that just like in the physical world, our digital world is made of different places. Some are like public squares, some are like private homes, and some are like community halls.
- Mapping Activity (20 mins): Using the 'My Digital Whenua Map' handout, students map out the digital spaces they visit. They should use different symbols or colours for different types of spaces (e.g., social media, games, school sites, messaging apps).
- Analysis & Reflection (10 mins): Students answer the reflection questions on the handout, considering which spaces feel like 'home' (safe, private) and which feel like 'public land' (open, less controlled).
- Support: Provide a list of common apps and websites to jog students' memories. Students can draw symbols instead of writing.
- Extension: Challenge students to draw lines between the 'places' on their map to show how they navigate from one to another, and what data might be shared between them.
Application & Consolidation | Our Class Whenua (20 minutes)
Main Activity: From 'My' Whenua to 'Our' Whenua
- Gallery Walk (10 mins): Students place their (anonymous, if preferred) maps around the room. They walk around and observe the similarities and differences.
- Group Discussion (10 mins): In small groups, students discuss: "What are the most common places our class visits? Which of these are our shared whenua (e.g., Google Classroom, school website)? How should we care for these shared spaces?"
Whakakapi | Closing Reflection (5 minutes)
Main Activity: One-Word Exit Ticket
- Students write down one word to describe how they feel about their digital whenua after this lesson. They share it as they leave.
🌿 Cultural Safety & Teaching Notes
Cultural Safety Protocols
- Authenticity of Whenua: Emphasise that 'digital whenua' is a metaphor to help us understand a new concept. It does not replace the deep, physical, and spiritual connection of whenua in Te Ao Māori. Acknowledge this openly.
- Privacy: Some students may not feel comfortable sharing their digital spaces. Make the gallery walk anonymous and give students the option to share only what they feel safe sharing. The goal is reflection, not exposure.
📊 Assessment & Next Steps
Assessment Criteria
- Completed 'Digital Whenua Map': Assesses student's ability to identify and categorise their digital spaces.
- Group Discussion Contributions: Assesses student's ability to apply the concept of whenua to a community context.
Next Steps
In our next lesson, we will be introduced to Kaitiaki Hauora, who will teach us about the four walls of our digital whare, starting with Taha Tinana (our physical well-being).
Curriculum alignment
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📋 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): “Digital content and data must be created, stored, and shared ethically and legally, respecting privacy, attribution, intellectual property, and local cultural considerations.”
- 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.”