All Years
Nelly in Aotearoa
Teaching Resource
Nelly the kuaka | godwit travels to Aotearoa New Zealand. In four episodes, especially developed for years 1–3 learners, Nelly explores different aspects of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories.
Use the videos with your students and the teaching support material for guidance and activities to help you link each video to your classroom context.
Nelly in Aotearoa – Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Nelly the kuaka | godwit travels to Aotearoa New Zealand. Her first stop is the Treaty grounds at Waitangi. This is where years 1–3 students meet Nelly for the first time.
Nelly
Whew! Made it!
She looks at Te Whare Rūnanga and takes a photo. Looking at the image, she sees it’s been photobombed by a mysterious bird. Looking up, the bird introduces himself.
Kahurangi
Kia ora! I’m Kahurangi, the kōkako! Nō hea koe, e hoa? Where are you from?
Nelly
Hi! I’m Nelly. I’ve just flown all the way from Alaska!
Kahurangi
Woah! Nau mai, haere mai ki Aotearoa, Nelly! Welcome! Is this your first visit?
Nelly
Yip! I’m so excited! But...I don’t really know where I am.
Kahurangi
Oh you’re in Waitangi! Waitangi is where it’s at - it’s a great place to start your Aotearoa adventure. There’s heaps of history, and you’ll get some great sun and kai too. Kai means food. Would you like me to show you around?
Nelly
Yes please!
Kahurangi flies off, with Nelly following alongside.
Kahurangi
Some really important events happened here. One of the most famous is when a large group of rangatira - that means chiefs - met with a captain from Britain to discuss how other people could live here with Māori.
Nelly
So other people wanted to live here too? Like me?
Kahurangi
Yes, although some had been living here for several years already. And because a whole lot more were on their way, the captain from Britain wanted Māori rangatira to sign a treaty.
Nelly
What’s a treaty?
Kahurangi
A treaty is a written record of important promises between two or more countries. This one was between Māori rangatira and the Queen of England.
Nelly
Woah the Queen of England was here?!
Kahurangi
Hehe, nah, just people representing her.
Nelly
So, what does a treaty...do?
Nelly and Kahurangi fly off
Kahurangi
Well, this one was meant to give guidelines for how tangata whenua, the people of this land, and newcomers like the British could build a relationship based on respect for people’s rights.
Nelly
I bet it took a long time to work out what to say!
Kahurangi and Nelly land in tree in the treaty grounds
Kahurangi
That’s part of the story! The treaty was written in English first, and then was translated into te reo Māori. In just one night! But, the two versions don’t quite say the same thing!
Nelly
Wow. Complicated. Did the rangatira know that?
Kahurangi
No. The next day there was a big hui, a meeting, to talk about what the treaty said (the one written in te reo Māori I mean). There was a lot to talk about! They debated about whether or not signing it was a good idea. The meeting went on for about 5 hours and then carried on late into the night.
Nelly
Woah!
Kahurangi
The next morning, the day of the signing, everyone had decided whether they would sign or not.
Nelly
So only some of the rangatira signed?
Kahurangi
Yeah, about 40, but there were also rangatira who chose not to sign. Each did what they thought would be best for their people.
Nelly
Was the treaty just for people who lived here in Waitangi?
Kahurangi and Nelly fly off.
Kahurangi
No, the treaty was taken to other parts of the country… Not everywhere though. In the end over 500 rangatira from different parts of Aotearoa signed. But it’s called the treaty of Waitangi because this is where the first signatures were collected.
Kahurangi and Nelly circle around the Treaty house and flagstaff
Nelly
What happened after the treaty had been signed? And what about the people who didn’t get a chance to sign? That seems a bit unfair.
Kahurangi
That, my friend, is a long story, and one that’s not over yet. But let’s just say things didn’t go to plan.
They land on flagstaff with a view of locations
Nelly
Wow! You were right when you said there was heaps of history here. Thank you for showing me around Kahurangi! And, ah, you also mentioned food?
Kahurangi
Yeah, you must be starving after your long flight! Come with me, I know a great spot.
The birds fly off
Te Tiriti o Waitangi TSM
Nelly in Aotearoa – Te Tiriti o Waitangi teaching guide
Nelly in Aotearoa – Te Tiriti o Waitangi teaching guide
Nelly in Aotearoa – Tangata whenua
In this second episode of Nelly in Aotearoa, Nelly the kuaka | godwit learns about ocean voyages made by the tūpuna of tangata whenua.
Nelly
Excuse me! Kia ora! Hi! Do you know where I can find Tāne the tūi?
Tāne
Kia ora! Yeah I’m Tāne!
Nelly
Oh cool! My friend Kahurangi sent me down to visit you. I’m Nelly, I’m new to Aotearoa and I want to learn about tangata whenua, the first people of this land. But, what is that?
Tāne and Nelly fly over a waka hourua.
Tāne
It’s a waka hourua.
Nelly
What’s a waka hourua?
Tāne
A waka is a boat. A waka hourua is a large waka for travelling far across the ocean.
Nelly
Wow, it’s beautiful!
Tāne
Yeah, it looks like the ones that brought the first people to Aotearoa a long, long, time ago. The ancestors of many people of New Zealand voyaged in boats like this from all over the Pacific. They brought their families with them and even some animals.
Nelly
Did many people come?
Tāne and Nelly land on the beach.
Tāne
Through stories passed down from their tīpuna, ancestors, many iwi and hapū whakapapa to the captains and crew of more than 40 different waka.
Many waka made this dangerous voyage. The sailors and navigators had to be brave and skillful.
At night they used the position of the stars and the moon to find their way. In the daytime they checked their course by using the wind, and the movement of the ocean.
Nelly
The stars, wind and ocean to navigate? So clever. I used the sun on my trip down from Alaska.
How did they know where Aotearoa was?
Tāne
They knew they were close to land when they could see clouds, smell plants and flowers from the land, or hear waves crashing on the beach. Over many years, waka arrived in Aotearoa from the Kurahaupō at North Cape to the Uruao in the South Island.
Nelly
Golly, that’s brave. I didn’t go down to the ocean on my flight, just kept high above it. It’s very dangerous, you know.
So that’s how all these people came here? On waka hourua?
Tāne
Māori were the first people here, but people from many countries have migrated here over time in many different ways. There are lots of origin stories in New Zealand – hey, like yours!
Nelly
Oh yeah! It would be neat to ask some humans about the different ways their families came here.
Tāne
Āe, our origin stories are important.
Tāne and Nelly leave the beach and fly off.
Nelly
Thanks, Tāne! I might go see if I can find some friendly looking people to ask.
Tāne
You’re welcome Nelly! Ka kite ano!
Nelly
Bye!
Tangata whenua TSM
Nelly in Aotearoa – Tangata whenua teaching guide
Nelly in Aotearoa – Tangata whenua teaching guide
Nelly in Aotearoa – Migration stories
In this third episode of Nelly in Aotearoa, Nelly the kuaka | godwit learns that children in Aotearoa come from lots of different places.
Nelly
Phew! I should stop for a rest - I’ve been flying for ages. Ooh! A school! Cool! Maybe I’ll meet some new friends!
Nelly flies down to the school.
Wow, this place looks fun.
Nelly sees a pīwakawaka playing in the playground with school children, flies over and lands on a beam.
Aroha
Kia ora!
Nelly
Kia ora! I’m Nelly! I’m a kūaka from Alaska.
Aroha
[giggles] I thought so! I’m Aroha and I’m a pīwakawaka.
Nelly
Nice to meet you! This place looks fun - do you live here?
Aroha
I live in a tree with my family across the playground. But, I hang out here with my friends when they’re on their lunch break. Come meet them!
Nelly and Aroha fly through the playground to the wall.
Aroha
Over here Nelly! These are my friends!
Nelly
Oh hi! Kia ora! I’m Nelly.
School group 1
Hi Nelly!
Aroha
Nelly is from Alaska.
Child 1
Wow, you came from Alaska?
Nelly
Yeah! My family makes the trip every year. It’s long, but worth it! Where are your families from?
Tessa
Talofa lava, I’m Tessa! My mum is Māori and my dad is Cook Islander.
Nelly
Oh cool! I think I flew past the Cook Islands on my way here!
Sienna
Hi, my name’s Sienna and my mum was born in Sydney and my Dad was born in Napier and they both met in Sydney together, and came back to New Zealand on a plane.
Harper
Hi. My Name is Harper, and my Grandad was from Italy. He has one restaurant up in Turangi, and we go visit him in the holidays a few times.
Nelly
Wow, I didn’t know the people of Aotearoa came from so many different places.
Aroha
Āe. For hundreds of years, Māori were the only people in Aotearoa New Zealand. But over the past 250 years, many people from all over the world have moved here. Why did your family come to Aotearoa, Nelly?
Child 2
Did you come here to explore?
Nelly
Kind of! Winter in Alaska gets too cold for us, so we fly down here! Plus the kai is awesome. It’s my first time in Aotearoa, so I’ve been exploring quite a bit!
Aroha
That sounds fun! Come on everyone, I know Marko would love to meet Nelly!
Nelly and Aroha fly over to the playground with the school children running.
Aroha
Hey everyone, come and meet my new friend Nelly!
The children leave the playground and gather together.
School group 2
Hi Nelly!
Nelly
Kia ora everyone! I’ve just been learning about where everybody’s families came from! My family and I have just flown over from Alaska.
Child 3
Wow, you flew here from Alaska?
Marko
Wow that’s so far!
Aroha
I reckon! But haven’t your whānau come from really interesting places too?
Marko
Hi my name is Marko and my parents are from Macedonia, and I’m from New Zealand.
Tessa
Hi. My name is Tessa and my mum’s from Scotland, Ireland and England, and my dad’s tribe came here on a whale.
Shibanika
Hi My name is Shibanika. My parents are from Sri Lanka, and I’m from Thailand.
Nelly
Wow! Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Aotearoa!
Aroha
[Laughs] Yep, we’re from lots of different places, and now we all live here. How cool is that?
Nelly
So cool! Part of me wishes I could stay here too, but in a few months I’ll need to go back to Alaska with my whānau. Kūaka spend more time in Aotearoa than Alaska, so we kind of belong to both places, I guess.
Aroha
Kā pai! Nau mai ki te whānau Nelly! Come and say hi when you get back.
Nelly
Thanks, I will!! See you later everyone!
The children call out “bye Nelly”. Nelly takes flight
Migration stories TSM
Nelly in Aotearoa – Migration stories teaching guide
Nelly in Aotearoa – Migration stories teaching guide
Nelly in Aotearoa – Naming places
In this fourth episode of Nelly in Aotearoa, Nelly the kuaka | godwit learns about the names of places in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Manaia
Kia ora e hoa! No hea koe? Where are you from?
Nelly
Kia ora! My name is Nelly. I’m from Alaska, a long way from here. How about you?
Manaia
My name is Manaia. I’m having a little mini-break here on Rangitoto ki te Tonga. What brings you here?
Nelly
It gets pretty cold in Alaska at this time of year and there’s not much food, so I’ve come down here for six months. I’m loving learning about Aotearoa, and there’s heaps more to learn. I’m definitely planning to come back!
Manaia
He kūaka koe? Are you a kūaka?
Nelly
Yes, that’s one of the names for me. Here some people call me a bar tailed godwit, and I’m known by several other names back in Alaska. How about you?
Manaia
I’m a kererū. The humans up North call me a couple of different names, but in most places I am kererū.
Nelly
Great name! What did you say this island was called?
Manaia
Its full name is Rangitoto ki Te Tonga D’Urville Island.
Nelly
That’s a long name! There must be a story behind it.
Manaia
Indeed. Most place names in Aotearoa tell stories.
This island was first named by Kupe, one of the first humans to come to Aotearoa. He called the island Rangitoto ki te Tonga, which means ‘red heavens look to the south’. Kupe named several places around here and around Aotearoa.
Nelly
Cool! I love hearing stories about Kupe. Some people say that he followed the path of kūaka to find his way here. Those kūaka could have been my ancestors! How about D’Urville? Was that from Kupe too?
Manaia
No. That name came much later.
Nelly and Manaia fly down to a lower branch.
D’Urville was a French explorer. He was really interested in plants and liked making maps.
Nelly
So how did the island end up with two names?
Manaia
There are lots of places with two or more names in Aotearoa New Zealand. The earliest names were brought here from the Pacific by the people who first came here. Then, as Māori people made Aotearoa their home, they named places after people and events that happened here, or after features in the landscape.
Hundreds of years later, new people came. They had their own ideas about naming places and gave many places new names. Some of the names they used were based on people or places from their homelands, or used their own words to describe the landscape or events that happened here.
Nelly
Can you give a name to a place that already has a name?
Nelly and Manaia fly down to the beach.
Manaia
Well, names are special and people have strong feelings about them. These days, you can’t just change them without giving lots of people a chance to have a say. Using two names, one in te reo Māori and one in English, shows that both names are now part of our history.
Nelly
Wow, learning about place names can teach you a lot!
Manaia
Yes, one of the first things I do when I go to a new place is find out what its name means and where it is from. But there are always lots of names to learn at home too!
Nelly
When I go back to Alaska, I’m going to learn about the names of places there. Thanks for an amazing kōrero Manaia! Enjoy your holiday.
Manaia
You too Nelly. Safe travels!
Nelly flies off
Naming places TSM
Nelly in Aotearoa – Naming places teaching guide
Nelly in Aotearoa – Naming places teaching guide
