Lesson 2: Biodiversity & Endemism in Aotearoa

Starter (15 mins)

Tuatara Time Machine

Show students images of tuatara alongside their ancient relatives and dinosaurs. Ask: "Why does New Zealand have a 'living dinosaur' when nowhere else does?" Introduce the concept of geographic isolation leading to unique evolution.

Key Question: What makes New Zealand's wildlife special compared to Australia or other countries?

Main Activity 1 (20 mins)

Endemic Species Investigation

Students work in pairs using the "Endemic Species Detective" handout to research NZ endemic species. Each pair gets assigned a different species (kiwi, kakapo, tuatara, kokako, giant weta, etc.).

Tasks:

Research their species' unique adaptations
Find out why it evolved only in NZ
Identify current population status and threats
Discover any mātauranga Māori connections

Digital Activity (15 mins)

NZ Biodiversity Challenge Game

Students use the interactive "Biodiversity Tagger" game to identify native vs introduced species in different NZ habitats. The game shows photos and students must quickly categorise each species.

Extension: Advanced students can create their own habitat biodiversity comparison using data from different regions.

Main Activity 2 (15 mins)

Species Gallery Walk & Māori Connections

Each pair presents their endemic species research to the class in a gallery walk format. Focus on sharing:

What makes their species unique
Traditional Māori knowledge about the species
Current conservation status
Biggest threats facing the species

Cultural Connection: Discuss how whakapapa (genealogical connections) applies to endemic species - they are truly "children of the land."

Plenary (10 mins)

Biodiversity Threat Analysis

As a class, create a mind map of threats to NZ biodiversity on the whiteboard:

Introduced species: possums, stoats, rats, cats
Habitat loss: farming, urban development
Climate change: changing temperatures and weather patterns
Human activities: pollution, tourism pressure

Reflection Question: Which threat do you think is the biggest, and why?

Cultural Connection: Māori View of Biodiversity

In te ao Māori, all living things have mauri (life force) and are connected through whakapapa. Endemic species are considered taonga (treasures) that have been gifted to Aotearoa. Kaitiakitanga names an obligation to care for these species and to be accountable for their wellbeing. It is a role taken up by people with the standing to do so — not a label a class gives itself.

Tohu — reading one living thing to predict another. Maramataka and local tohu use the state of one species as a signal about another: a plant flowering marks when something else is ready. The pairings are specific to rohe and to iwi, so there is no single national rule, and this page does not assert one.

Do this now: find one documented tohu for your own rohe and record who says it — a local iwi environmental plan, a named Te Ara entry, or your kaiako Māori. Then say what a scientist would need to measure to test the same relationship. An unsourced “Māori knew that…” is a claim without a source; it is not evidence, and it is not how this knowledge is held.

🪶 Kaiako — mātauranga handoff. A specific tohu for your rohe, with its correct attribution, belongs to kaiako Māori, kaumātua or mana whenua to supply. The activity above works without one — students go and find the named source themselves, which is the point. Registered for review.

Take-Home Experiment

Backyard Biodiversity Survey

Equipment: Phone camera, notebook, magnifying glass (if available)

Method:

Choose a 2m x 2m area in your garden or local park
Spend 15 minutes identifying all living things you can find
Take photos and note which are native vs introduced
Record your findings using the provided data sheet
Upload findings to iNaturalist NZ (optional)

Extension: Compare your findings with a classmate's from a different area.

Assessment Task

Endemic Species Conservation Report

Task: Write a 300-word report on one endangered endemic NZ species, including:

Why the species is unique (evolutionary adaptations)
Current population status and main threats
Existing conservation efforts
Your proposed solution to help save the species
Any traditional Māori knowledge about the species

Due: Next lesson | Assessment Level: Achieved/Merit/Excellence

Resources Needed

Digital Resources:

iNaturalist NZ app/website
DOC species factsheets
NZ Birds Online database
Biodiversity Tagger game

Physical Resources:

Endemic species research handouts
Magnifying glasses
Species identification books
Tuatara/endemic species photos

Teacher Notes

Preparation: Pre-assign species to pairs to ensure good coverage. Have backup species ready.
Differentiation: Struggling students can focus on well-known species like kiwi. Advanced students can research lesser-known species like native frogs.
Cross-curricular Links: Connects to Social Studies (Māori culture), English (report writing), Math (population statistics).
Safety: If doing outdoor surveys, ensure students stay in designated safe areas and work in pairs.
Extension Activities: Guest speaker from DOC, school conservation project planning, creation of species conservation posters.

Media Anchor: Endemic Species in Aotearoa

Watch and capture evidence before moving into the lesson tasks.

Identify one adaptation that supports survival in a specific habitat.
What evidence shows why endemic species need targeted protection?

Curriculum alignment

Ecosystems — Knowledge: Human activity can alter environments faster than some species can adapt, leading to biodiversity loss.
Ecosystems — Knowledge: Human activity (e.g. agriculture, urbanisation, resource extraction, industry, recreation) can cause habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change, which threaten ecosyst…
Ecosystems — Knowledge: Human activity influences large-scale Earth systems, leading to changes such as climate change and ocean acidification.
Text Studies — Knowledge: Texts and their meanings are not static — how texts are viewed and interpreted by readers can shift across time, language, and place. Connections can be made between a text an…
Earth Systems — Practices: Applying understanding of carbon movement to real-world contexts (e.g. climate change mitigation, land use planning, energy choices), using evidence to evaluate the effectiven…