Below you will find the foundational curriculum content to be covered for Aotearoa NZ's Histories between the Years 1-3.

This content is using the new curriculum framework.

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KNOW

I have explored the diverse histories and experiences of the peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand.

I have built my knowledge of stories about the people, events, and changes that have been important in my local area, including knowledge of the stories iwi and hapū share about their history in the rohe.

For the national contexts, I know the following:

Whakapapa me te whanaungatanga | Culture and identity

Origins and connections

Māori are tangata whenua. They were the first people of this land and have stories about their origins and arrival.

People in our area have come from a variety of places and some retain connections to those places.

Tino rangatiratanga me te kāwanatanga | Government and organisation

Waitangi Day

Waitangi Day marks the significance of the initial signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi. We recall what happened at Waitangi at the time of the signing and who was there. This helps us understand why we have a holiday.

    • QUESTION

      Waitangi Day

      Why is February 6 called Waitangi Day?

    • QUESTION

      Waitangi Day

      How does the community acknowledge the significance of 6 February 1840?

    • QUESTION

      Waitangi Day

      What do we know about the people who were at Waitangi around the time of signing?

  • Explore examples of: 

    • the range of people present on 6 February 1840 – groups of Māori from throughout the north, missionaries, Pākehā settlers, women and children, and some notable public figures: Hōne Heke, Tāmati Wāka Nene, Eruera Maihi Patuone, Iwikau Te Heuheu from Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Lieutenant-Governor Hobson, James Busby, Henry and Edward Williams, William Colenso, and Bishop Pompallier
    • other places in New Zealand where the nine separate sheets of Te Tiriti were signed – the two versions were taken around Aotearoa. More than 500 chiefs, including some women, signed. Not all Māori chiefs signed.

Tūrangawaewae me te kaitiakitanga | Place and environment

Connecting

Tangata whenua are deeply connected to the local area. Naming places was key to establishing and maintaining mana and tūrangawaewae.

    • QUESTION

      Connecting

      What are the names of the features of the landscape in our area?

    • QUESTION

      Connecting

      Do some features have more than one name? If so, why, and where do the names come from?

    • QUESTION

      Connecting

      How did Māori name marae, hapū, iwi, and features of the landscape?

    • QUESTION

      Connecting

      How and why have some place names in Aotearoa New Zealand changed?

  • Explore examples of: 

    • tangata whenua connections to the local area – names of marae, hapū, iwi, and geological features and how they relate to experiences and whakapapa.

Naming

Many of the names of geographical features, towns, buildings, streets, and places tell stories. Sometimes there is more than one story.

    • QUESTION

      Naming

      How did Māori name marae, hapū, iwi, and features of the landscape?

    • QUESTION

      Naming

      How and why have some place names in Aotearoa New Zealand changed?

  • Explore examples of: 

    • names of geographical features, towns, places, streets, and buildings, and the stories people tell about those names.

Kōwhiringa ohaoha me te whai oranga | Economic activity

Living and working

The ways different groups of people have lived and worked in this rohe have changed over time.

    • QUESTION

      Living and working

      Who were the first people to live in our area?

    • QUESTION

      Living and working

      What are the stories about how they have met their needs and wants?

    • QUESTION

      Living and working

      Who else has lived here over time?

    • QUESTION

      Living and working

      What are the stories about how these people have met their needs and wants?

  • Explore examples of: 

    • how the first people who lived in the area provided for themselves and others (for example, with food, shelter, clothing, technology, tools, work, and trade and exchange)
    • how groups who have lived in the area at different times have provided for themselves and others (for example, with food, shelter, clothing, technology, tools, work, and trade and exchange).