Ngā Rauemi
Resources
Here you will find a range of teaching resources, digital resources & inquiry units that our education team have created.
We have also compiled some useful links from YouTube, Te Ara, NZ History Online and the National Library so you may delve deeper into the story of Waitangi, the place, and Te Tiriti | The Treaty.
Learning Resources
Our Education team has created a variety of hands-on teaching and learning resources to support teachers and students, both at school and at home.
he tohu activity
When rangatira Māori signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi, some of them used a part of their tā moko (facial tattoo) as their tohu (mark or sign). Use this activity for students to create their own tohu. What tohu would you design to represent yourself or your whānau?
stories of our māori placenames
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori and Mahuru Māori is a great time to explore the significance in Māori culture of tapa whenua – naming places, to record history and describe places. An inquiry unit for upper primary to lower secondary school students.
stories from te wharenui
Help your students explore their identity as it is represented inside te wharenui; an inquiry unit to use with students from upper primary to lower secondary schools.
waka inquiry unit
Waka play an important role in our lives in Aotearoa New Zealand. This site contains inquiry units which can be used individually or combined into one longer inquiry unit.
our matariki
This resource provides educators (including parents) with practical hands-on activities to explore Matariki, linking to different Learning Areas of the New Zealand Curriculum. You can also download Digital Learning resources around Matariki from our Digital Learning page.
Waitangi What Really Happened
This docudrama follows an imaginary news reporter who travels back in time to cover the days leading up to te Tiriti o Waitangi | the Treaty of Waitangi’s signing on 6th Feb 1840. We recommend you watch the entirety of each clip before showing students, as some content may not be age appropriate. Videos from www.nzonscreen.com
Part 2
Examples of lawlessness from settlers/traders & different viewpoints given for signing a treaty.
Part 3
5th Feb - Hui Day. Traders, settlers & locals meet at Waitangi to find out more about the details of the treaty.
Part 4
Local chiefs take the floor & give reasons for & against signing discussed. Including speeches from Kawiti, Hone Heke & Tāmati Wāka Nene.
Part 5
Hui ends for the day. Groups disperse & chiefs gather to discuss.
Part 6
6th Feb - Signing day. Hone Heke steps forward to sign followed by 43 others. Part 7: Chief’s express their own reasonings for signing. New Zealand is now a British colony.
Important Documents
Learn more about the Treaty of Waitangi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the important events and documents leading up to the signing.
the treaty in english and mĀori
Te Tiriti o Waitangi, The Treaty of Waitangi, was written in English and translated into Māori. Examine and compare to discover the key differences between these two versions.
petition about lawlessness
Discover the 1831 petition from 13 chiefs to King William IV about lawlessness.
he whakaputanga - declaration of independence
In 1835 Northern chiefs signed a Declaration of Independence, asserting their mana and sovereignty over New Zealand. Explore this document here and discover what led up to this event.
Significant People
Do you know Hongi Hika from Hōne Heke?
A selection of key Māori & European figures associated with the making of the Treaty of Waitangi and Te Tiriti o Waitangi
First Encounters
Discover navigators and explorers, explore first meetings between different peoples and learn more about immigration to Aotearoa New Zealand
first encounters
Materials provided by the National Library.
First meetings between Polynesian cultures (particularly Māori) and European explorers.
famous explorers
Materials provided by the National Library.
The age of exploration, and voyaging, famous explorers, and Kupe’s discovery of New Zealand.
immigration to aotearoa
Materials provided by the National Library.
Famous New Zealanders, heroes, inventors, scientists, singers, writers, sportsmen, sportswomen, musicians and artists.
colonial life in new zealand
Materials provided by the National Library.
1769-1914; includes European discovery of New Zealand, contact with Māori, New Zealand wars, Pākehā colonisation, social life, economy, politics and major events of the time.
Heroic Warriors & Soldiers
Learn more about the Māori involvement in conflict during the New Zealand Wars and in international conflicts overseas
new zealand wars
Starting in 1845 at Kororāreka (Russell) a series of campaigns involving some Māori tribes and government forces.
anzac
Events around Anzac Day, as well as the formation of the ANZACs, and how the Gallipoli campaign became culturally significant for New Zealand and Australian societies.
victoria cross
Discover more about the recipients of the commonwealth’s highest military decoration.