Curriculum links
Learning areas
- Social Studies
- Technology
- The Arts
Which strands will it fit with?
- Social Studies - Culture and Heritage, Place and Environment
- Technology - Technology and Society
- The Arts - Dance - Understanding Dance in Context, Music - Understanding Music in Context, Visual Art - Understanding Visual Art in Context
Key Competencies
Thinking, Relating to others, Using language, symbols, and texts, Participating and contributing.
Levels of achievement
Levels 1-4
Year group
Years 1-8
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Which topics of study can it support?
- Pacific Society Past and Present
- Pūrākau - Storytelling
- Innovation and Invention
How long might this take?
Allow 15-20 minutes to explore PlaNet Pasifika.
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Where do I find it?
Why should I take my class to visit this?
- One of four Discovery Centres at Te Papa, PlaNet Pasifika provides an interactive area featuring objects and stories from the Pacific.
- It is a fun way of appreciating the traditional and contemporary Pacific.
- A Te Papa staff member is assigned at all times to show you around and be of assistance.
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What is there to do there?
- Have a go at designing your own Samoan tatau (tattoo).
- Check out the research fale for books and computer resources about the Pacific.
- Listen to the beautiful sounds of Pasifika music or create some yourself on the Pasifika drums.
- Learn about Pacific costumes and then dress up in some.
- See how the Samoan fale, or house, was made.
- Create your own Cook Islands tīvaevae pattern on the wall.
- Play some Pasifika games or colour in some Pasifika pictures.
- Have a look at the vaka and learn about ocean voyaging in the Pacific.
- Check out the Treasure Chest and see how the Pasifika people make use of the ocean.
- Have a go at making a lei.
- Check out the kids’ art contributed by different schools around New Zealand.
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What should I know about this?
- PlaNet Pasifika is one of four Discovery Centres at Te Papa, and is located on Level 4, near Golden Days.
- Focuses on seven island groups from the Pacific: Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Niue, and Tokelau.
Possible topics for discussion
- Discuss some of the cultural differences that you can see between the different Pasifika cultures. Namely, in language, food, dress, customs, and so on.
- Check out the construction of the fale (Samoan house) in PlaNet Pasifika. How does this compare to the construction of the whare (Māori house) in Aotearoa? Have a look at the wharenui (meeting house) Te Hau ki Turanga, or the wharepuni (sleeping house) Mākōtukutuku, in the Mana Whenua exhibition on Level 4. Compare the building materials, the height, the decorative elements and so on. Check out the images of the fale being built in the album found in the research fale.
- How is the Samoan fale different to your house? Why do you think that is?
- Name the different parts of the coconut tree. What can the coconut tree be used for? Why is it called the tree of life? (The coconut is an important resource for Pasifika peoples; parts of it are used as food, shelter, drinking water, and firewood as well as for making garments, baskets, mats, rope and tools.) Coconut trees are also prevalent in stories from the Pacific - they are present in all parts of the Pacific culture, which is why they are often referred to as the tree of life. The coconut itself is made up of a shell, husk, skin, and the copra (the flesh inside the coconut). The tree itself has no branches, the leaves come straight from the trunk.
- Have a look at the fishing hooks in the drawers kept in the Pacific Treasure Chest case and keep an eye out for the cobweb fishing lure. How are these similar to each other? How are they different? What are they made of?
- Have a look at how tapa cloth is made. Which islands practice the art of tapa-cloth making and do the practices vary between each island? Tapa cloth is made in Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga. In Samoa it is called siapo, in Tonga it is known as ngatu, and in Fiji it is called masi. Although each culture has their own distinctive visual style, tapa manufacture is fairly similar throughout Polynesia. The inner bark of the paper mulberry tree is stripped, soaked, and beaten with a wooden mallet on a flat-topped wooden anvil (tutua) to produce sheets of unprocessed cloth measuring around 300mm by 3-4000mm. These pieces are then joined and decorated in ways specific to each area.
- Why are the vaka (canoes) so important to Pasifika peoples? Has the importance of vaka in their lives changed over time? Historically, vaka were very important as the Pacific Islands are surrounded by vast areas of ocean, so vaka were crucial for transport, as well as for fishing expeditions. With the development of transport and fishing technology, vaka are not as prominent today as they have been in the past, but they continue to play an important role in Pasika peoples’ lives.
- Has anyone been to a Pacific Island? How is it different or the same to New Zealand?
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