This teacher resource was developed by Te Papa in partnership with Wellington College of Education | Te Whanau o Ako Pai Te Upoko o Te Ika. It was drafted by Te Mako Orzecki, Tandi McRae, and Kelly Wihongi while they were students at Wellington College of Education.

The resource has a Social Studies focus and provides learning around atttiudes and the social decision-making necessary for Matariki to become a public holiday.

Social Studies (Matariki) @ Te Papa

Programme title

Matariki

Topic

Matariki in mainstream New Zealand

Issue

Should Matariki, the Māori New Year, be recognised as a public holiday?

This issue is important for students developing awareness and understanding because:

• They gain an appreciation of Māori epistemology and Māori perspectives
• They gain appreciation of the many elements that help form our identity as New Zealanders
• They gain an appreciation that Matariki is an effective way of measuring time, reading the seasons, and navigating geographically, that it is part of social organisation
• It enables them to develop the skills of Social Decision-Making and Values Exploration
• They appreciate that any change to public holidays requires a change in legislation.

Suitability

Years 5-6
Level 3

Learning area

Social Studies

Strand

Identity, Culture, and Organisation

Links to other curriculum areas

English:

• Listening, Reading, and Viewing
• Speaking, Writing, and Presenting.

Values

Excellence, Innovation, inquiry, and curiosity, Diversity, Community and participation

Key Competencies

Thinking, Relating to others, Participating and contributing.

Strand achievement objectives

Culture and heritage

Students will gain knowledge, skills, and experiences to:

• Understand how groups make and implement rules and laws.
• Understand how cultural practices vary but reflect similar purposes.
• Understand how the movement of people affects cultural diversity and interaction in New Zealand.

Learning outcomes and intentions

• Explain how Matariki’s position in the sky was used as a way to organise society: a sign to plant, gather, store kai (food), and as a navigational tool.
• Identify through research and describe the range of views (Māori and Pākehā) regarding Matariki becoming a public holiday.
• Identify the similarities and differences in the views held by groups concerned with Matariki becoming a public holiday.
• Describe the legislative process of how Matariki could become a public holiday.
• Make a choice about whether Matariki should become a public holiday with justification.
• Design a set of criteria that will become the basis for which the community makes its decision.
• Decide on what possible action will be taken by the classroom community.

Learning experiences

Lesson one: Within a given issue people will hold different views and perspectives

• Compile a questionnaire to survey peoples’ opinions on the topic.
• Identify the groups that would have an interest in this discussion: Māori, non-Māori, MPs, young and old people (initially individually and then in pairs).
• Children will come up with open and closed questions (brainstorm with class).

Lesson two 

• With information gathered from a survey, students will group responses into those who agree and disagree with Matariki becoming a holiday and put them into a pie graph.
• Students will then present three examples of why/why not.

Lesson three: Students will know that public opinion drives legislative change

• Students will come up with specific questions to ask an MP.
• Students will investigate what are the legal processes in making and creating a public holiday, using processes already used and information gained in previous lessons.
• Students will invite their local MP to school to clarify the issues.

Lesson four

• Based on the information gathered, students will write a report of their own thoughts on this topic.
• They will need to justify their opinions, using information gathered as a reference.
• Guided discussion: whole class.

Lesson five

• Students will be introduced to a possibility tree of the outcomes and actions of Matariki becoming a public holiday.
• PMI each of the outcomes.

Lesson six

• Collaboratively, students will come up with a set of criteria for deciding whether Matariki should become a public holiday.
• Consider aspects of economics, Māori perspectives, and practicalities.

Lesson seven

• Students will take into account all of the information gained as a class.
• Students will decide whether Matariki should become a public holiday.
• Decide what action to take and, in particular, action suitable to the community view.

Resources

• Internet
• Carter Observatory
• Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
• Library
• Kaumatua, local iwi (tribal groups)
• Treaty of Waitangi
• Holidays Act
• New Zealand constitutional law