Defining the Mahi
Activism isn't just marching in the street. It is any action taken to bring about social or political change. In Aotearoa, activism has a deep history connected to Tino Rangatiratanga (MÄori self-determination) and holding power to account.
š§ Do Now: Word Association
When you hear the word "Activist", what image comes to mind?
Someone brave fighting for rights (e.g., Kate Sheppard).
Someone disrupting traffic or breaking rules.
Whakapapa of Resistance
Activism in New Zealand didn't start with the internet. It started with survival and sovereignty.
Te Whiti-o-Rongomai and Tohu KÄkahi lead a campaign of passive resistance against land confiscation. No weapons, just ploughing land and sit-ins.
Kate Sheppard and fellow campaigners collect 32,000 signatures (the largest petition ever at the time) to win women the right to vote.
Dame Whina Cooper, at age 79, walks from Te HÄpua to Wellington under the slogan "Not One Acre More".
Types of Activism
Actions come in many forms. Match the action to the method.
| Type | Example | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Action | Occupying land, blocking a road | Disrupt normal life to force attention |
| Lobbying | Writing to MPs, presenting petitions | Change the law through official channels |
| Consumer Action | Boycotting a brand | Hit them in the wallet (money = power) |
| Digital Activism | Viral hashtags, online petitions | Raise awareness quickly & globally |
š± Reflection
Which method do you think is most effective today for getting a teenager's attention versus a politician's attention?
š Teacher Planning Snapshot
NgÄ WhÄinga Ako ā Learning Intentions
Students will investigate digital activism as a form of civic participation and political power, examining how social media and online tools have enabled new forms of resistance, solidarity, and community organising. This unit connects to MÄori traditions of protest, hÄ«koi, and political action in the digital age.
NgÄ Paearu AngitÅ« ā Success Criteria
- ā I can evaluate the effectiveness of digital activism strategies and identify their strengths and limitations.
- ā I can analyse how power operates in digital spaces and who controls information flows.
- ā I can design a digital activism campaign for a cause I care about, applying ethical communication principles.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide campaign planning templates and analysis frameworks for entry-level learners. Offer extension tasks requiring students to critically evaluate a real activist campaign's digital strategy and propose evidence-based improvements.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach political and digital literacy vocabulary. Leverage students' knowledge of activism in their home countries as a comparative lens. Allow discussions in home language to process complex political ideas before English writing tasks.
Inclusion: Use multimodal texts ā videos, images, social media posts ā to make political concepts accessible. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured analysis frameworks and choice in how they engage with potentially charged political content. Create a safe classroom environment where diverse political perspectives are respected.
MÄtauranga MÄori lens: Situate digital activism in the long whakapapa of MÄori political resistance ā from the Kotahitanga movement to the 1975 MÄori land march, to contemporary digital campaigns for Te Tiriti justice. Explore how hui, karanga, and whaikÅrero function as forms of community organising that preceded digital networks, and how MÄori activists have strategically adopted digital tools while maintaining cultural grounding. Discuss tino rangatiratanga as the ultimate goal of political participation.
Prior knowledge: Best used after foundational social studies and civics concepts. Benefits from prior exposure to media literacy.
Curriculum alignment
- Social Studies ā Understanding: Students understand how digital technologies shape political participation and how communities use online tools to advocate for rights and social change.