NZHistory, New Zealand history online - social studies level 5

Matariki and social studies

Matariki, the Maori New Year, is an important festival that reflects our bi-cultural heritage. This page outlines how a study of Matariki can be used by teachers and students of social studies.

Further information

A fuller account of Matariki is on Te Ara - the encyclopedia of New Zealand. The Maori Language Commission (pdf) has excellent material for studying the significance of Matariki to New Zealand society. See also the Matariki Collection on NZ On Screen.

Social studies

Matariki provides an ideal opportunity to explore the ways that people pass on and sustain aspects of their culture and heritage. An emphasis on customs and traditions and how they are retained and developed makes Matariki an excellent case study. Matariki could become a school-wide focus for its duration.

Matariki can be a springboard into further topics associated with the customs and practices of New Zealand’s first settlers. How do the customs and practices of tangata whenua compare with the experiences of other people who have settled in New Zealand?

Matariki can also be explored from the perspective of the consequences of the migration of people and ideas. How has New Zealand's social and cultural calendar changed as a result of Maori settlement?

Matariki is a good time to consider how different cultures measure time. How and why we mark days, months and years is something we often take for granted. But they are all important aspects of cultural identity and history.

Olympics classroom ideas

The Beijing Olympic Games in August 2008 will mark a century of New Zealand participation at the modern Olympics. The Games offer teachers and students an opportunity not only to explore the Olympics in general but to examine their place in New Zealand's history. The Olympic Games have been an important part of New Zealand's interaction with the rest of the world.

But there has always been much more to the Olympics than the efforts of athletes. The Games have been marred by political wrangling, boycotts, controversy, even tragedy. From the Nazi spectacle of Berlin to the Montreal, Moscow and Los Angeles boycotts, New Zealand athletes have often been caught up in events far beyond their control.

Sport has shaped our sense of cultural well-being. As a small nation we have often seen achievement at sporting events like the Olympics as a measure of our progress or status as a nation. The number of medals we have won has been used as a measurement of national self-worth.

All of these are angles that will enable social studies and history teachers to use this major current event as a springboard into further learning.

NZHistory.net.nz has developed a number of resources that explore New Zealand's first Olympic century. You can find out more about these here. This material will be of great value to teachers and students working at various levels.

We welcome contributions from other teachers and students. See the Community Contribution section at the bottom of the page if you would like to ask a question or suggest further teaching ideas that would be useful to others.

Social studies

Using the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a backdrop, schools could explore all of the conceptual strands for this learning area. For instance:

Identity, Culture, and Organisation

Students could explore the particular role that participation in the Olympics has played in shaping our identity as a nation. How have the Games and some of the individuals who have competed over time contributed to a sense of national pride? How have the Olympics shaped our reputation as a nation? Why is sport (and success in it) so important to many New Zealanders? Should sport be used to promote strong feelings of national identity and pride?

Place and Environment

There is an opportunity with this strand to look at the host country as well as countries competing. Students could draw the name of a competing country out of a hat and follow that country's progress thorough the games. They could compile a fact-file on that country for a classroom noticeboard, featuring basic statistics, a flag and a map, for instance. Alternatively, they could introduce their selected country to the class by way of a small oral presentation, with their country identified on a class map with the student's name attached. Another possible activity is to have your very own class opening ceremony where students march in to class with the flag of their selected country.

Continuity and Change

This strand is perfect for exploring previous Olympic Games that New Zealanders have attended. Students could choose one of the past Olympiads and research New Zealand's involvement: the medal winners, the highs and the lows. They could consider the differences between now and the past in terms of travelling to the Games or perhaps the level of support provided to the athletes.

The Economic World

The Olympics are a huge economic event. The costs of hosting the Games are enormous and beyond the reach of many nations. There are vast sums of money to be made from selling television rights and merchandise and from tourism. Large multinational companies pay a lot of money to advertise at Games venues and to have their products made available during the Olympics.

In addition, the New Zealand government provides financial support for the athletes selected and to assist our participation in the Olympics. Is this something we should be spending money on?

The Olympic Games are a perfect vehicle for a social inquiry approach to a number of the achievement objectives associated with the social sciences conceptual strands.

History

The types of sport we play and who we compete against reflect our colonial past. As a small nation we have often presented ourselves as the underdog taking on the might of the world. Any success is therefore greeted as a significant achievement. The mood of the nation is often influenced by sporting success. A successful All Black season can contribute to a general sense of well-being as a nation; a poor one can have the opposite effect. The euphoria that greeted the America's Cup win in 1995 highlighted the value that many New Zealanders place on sporting achievement.

Sport has contributed to the formation of a distinctive sense of identity by particular individuals or groups. The shared experiences of New Zealanders through sport have contributed to the development of a sense of what it is to be a New Zealander.

New Zealand's involvement in the Olympics is relevant to the NCEA Level 1 topic New Zealand's Search for Security 1945-1985. The All Black tour of South Africa was responsible for a number of African nations deciding to boycott the 1976 Montreal Games. Our ties with the United States saw us participate in the boycott of the Moscow Games in 1980. These issues could also be used as the basis for the research standards for this level.

The NCEA Level 2 topic The growth of New Zealand identity 1890-1980 provides an ideal opportunity to incorporate the Olympics into a history programme by looking at the wider role of sport in defining and expressing a sense of national identity. As such, it could be used as a context for achievement objective 2.6: examine individual or group identity in a historical setting, in an essay. These issues could also be used as the basis for the research standards for this level.

Responding to tragedy - Classroom activities

This page gives a broad outline of how the category on New Zealand disasters could be used by teachers and students of social studies and history. This category explores some of the natural disasters, shipwrecks, train crashes and other tragedies that have caused major loss of life and shocked New Zealand. It includes:

We welcome feedback. Please use the comments box at the bottom of this page.

Social studies

The cause and impact of these disasters is of great relevance to social studies at all levels. At the earliest level of the social sciences curriculum students are asked to explore how the past is important to people and how places in New Zealand are significant for individuals and groups.

Disasters such as these represent one aspect of people’s interaction with their environment and how places influence people and people influence places. Some of the places associated with these disasters have taken on great significance for individuals and groups and their names have become by-words for tragedy.

These significant events from New Zealand’s past have shaped peoples lives and are an ideal way of examining how events have causes and effects.

For more detail of specific activities relating to this category go to New Zealand disasters activities - Social Studies

NCEA history

The impact of these disasters could be used as the context for research-based achievement standards at all levels.

For more detail of specific activities relating to this topic:

See other ideas and activities relating to social studies.
For other resources for all teachers and students see The Classroom.

Erebus disaster - classroom activities

We welcome feedback. Please use the comments box at the bottom of this page.

Social studies

These significant events from New Zealand’s past have shaped peoples lives and are an ideal way of examining how events have causes and effects.

For more detail of specific activities relating to this category go to New Zealand disasters activities - social studies

NCEA history

The impact of these disasters could be used as the context for research-based achievement standards at all levels.

Wahine disaster - classroom activities

We welcome feedback. Please use the comments box at the bottom of this page.

Social studies

These significant events from New Zealand’s past have shaped peoples lives and are an ideal way of examining how events have causes and effects.

For more detail of specific activities relating to this category go to New Zealand disasters activities - social studies

NCEA history

The impact of these disasters could be used as the context for research-based achievement standards at all levels.

Tangiwai disaster - classroom activities

We welcome feedback. Please use the comments box at the bottom of this page.

Social studies

These significant events from New Zealand’s past have shaped peoples lives and are an ideal way of examining how events have causes and effects.

For more detail of specific activities relating to this category go to New Zealand disasters activities - social studies

NCEA history

The impact of these disasters could be used as the context for research-based achievement standards at all levels.

Classroom activities - New Zealand disasters

We welcome feedback. Please use the comments box at the bottom of this page.

Social studies

These significant events from New Zealand’s past have shaped peoples lives and are an ideal way of examining how events have causes and effects.

For more detail of specific activities relating to this category go to New Zealand disasters activities - social studies

NCEA history

The impact of these disasters could be used as the context for research-based achievement standards at all levels.

Classroom ideas - Passchendaele

This page broadly outlines how teachers and students of social studies and history could use the feature on Passchendaele: fighting for Belgium. The feature is of great value to teachers and students working at various levels.

New Zealanders in Belgium

New Zealanders fought in Belgium during the First World War as part of the Western Front campaign. This campaign saw massive battles fought along a line stretching some 700 kilometres from Switzerland to the Belgian coast. New Zealand’s experience on the Western Front has been overshadowed by stories of Gallipoli and Anzac Day, but in the overall context of the war, the Western Front was more important. While 2700 New Zealanders lost their lives at Gallipoli in 1915, considerably more – 12,500 – were killed on the Western Front. Despite the focus on Gallipoli, French and Belgian placenames like the Somme, Messines and Passchendaele hold a special place in the family histories of many New Zealanders. These battles were the deadliest in New Zealand’s military history.

We would love to hear from schools about their own First World War research based on the experiences of ex-pupils who served overseas, particularly in Belgium.

Social studies

Many schools use Anzac Day as an opportunity to reflect on New Zealand’s experiences in war. Schools that existed during the wars of the 20th century sometimes look at the impact of war on their own school community. Many schools will have a roll of honour listing the names of former pupils who died during the two world wars or, perhaps, a building or trophy named after an ex-pupil who was killed.

In schools where social studies is used to explore themes such as the development of national identity, the place of war (and its associated themes of suffering and sacrifice) can be used to explore how these events shaped a sense of who we are as a people. On a more intimate level, Anzac Day has also been used to explore family history and the involvement of pupils’ ancestors in war.

This feature can also be used to expand an Anzac Day study into a wider study of New Zealand and the First World War:

Debate why we have an Anzac Day in April as opposed to, say, a Passchendaele Day in October.
Examine how we, as a nation, remember the war.
See NCEA Level 2 history activity ideas relating to this topic in the Classroom for activities that could be adapted to suit a social studies programme

NCEA history

The impact of the First World War, and in particular the Western Front, on New Zealand and the experiences of New Zealanders who fought there are relevant to a number of achievement standards across all levels. This feature provides students with a context for historical investigation and, therefore, the research standards at each level. It has particular relevance to the following Level 2 topics and achievement standard:

extension for the Level 2 topic on the Origins of World War I
a case study associated with the Level 2 topic on the growth of New Zealand identity 1890–1980
Achievement standard 2.6: Examine individual or group identity in a historical setting.

See NCEA Level 2 history activity ideas relating to this topic in the Classroom.

Classroom ideas - Dominion status

This page gives a broad outline of how the feature on New Zealand being granted dominion status could be used by teachers and students of social studies and history.

Dominion status

On 26 September 1907 the colony of New Zealand ceased to exist. New Zealand became a dominion within the British Empire. Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward read the proclamation of dominion status from the steps of Parliament, and he marked an important symbolic shift in New Zealand’s perceptions of nationhood. However, the shift from colony to dominion was a change of name only. It had no practical effect. New Zealand was no more and no less independent from Britain than it had been before.

Richard Long, writing in the Dominion Post on 25 September 2007, argued that Dominion Day 'would be a whole lot better as a national day than continuing with the ever-divisive Waitangi Day'.

This feature is of great value to teachers and students working at various levels who are exploring themes associated with the growth of New Zealand identity.

Social studies

Many junior social studies classes explore the theme of New Zealand identity. The focus of these studies is often what it means to be a New Zealander or symbols of identity, for example, Kiwiana. What is not so obviously addressed are some of the important political and constitutional issues that have shaped our identity as a unique nation. This might be touched on when the Treaty of Waitangi is studied, but these can be somewhat daunting concepts to tackle with younger students. This feature will help teachers come to grips with some constitutional issues relating to New Zealand’s political development as a nation. With careful use, this feature could be used by teachers at Levels 4 and 5 to follow on from a study of the Treaty of Waitangi by examining the transition from colonial to dominion status. Some key questions to consider include:

Did Dominion status result in New Zealand asserting its own identity as a nation? Did anything really change?
How was New Zealand society as a whole shaped by this event?
How did New Zealanders react, individually and collectively, to dominion status?
Does Richard Long have a point when he suggests Dominion Day should replace Waitangi Day as our national day?

NCEA Level 2 history

The 'Growth of New Zealand identity 1890–1980' is one topic offered under the heading of the theme, 'Imperialism, indigenous peoples and the emergence of new nations'.

When Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward read the proclamation of dominion status from the steps of Parliament on 26 September 1907, he marked an important symbolic shift in New Zealand’s perceptions of nationhood. This would, he hoped, remind the world that New Zealand was an important player in its own right. The Evening Post reported on the first Dominion Day that, New Zealand went ‘up one’ in the ‘school of British nations’. ‘Abroad … there is a notion that New Zealand is … merely the little tail of the great dog; but the Prime Minister is determined that the tail is not to be overlooked, nor to be despised in any way.’

This feature provides students with a context to examine the issue of dominion status as part of New Zealand's pathway to independence. To what extent was this merely a change in name and not status? The debate surrounding dominion status could be used to prepare for:

Achievement standard 2.6: Examine individual or group identity in a historical setting, in an essay.

For more detail of specific activities relating to this topic go to Dominion status activities – NCEA Level 2 history.

Measuring time

Scientifically, the year is a complete cycle of seasons. A year is when the earth completes one full orbit of the sun. Its length is measured from one spring quinox to the next spring equinox.

Measuring the time of year was important to most people. Knowing the season was vital when deciding to plant and harvest crops as well as managing livestock in colder climates. Other cultural and religious practices happened at specific times of the year, so it was important to have some sense of time.

The obelisks of ancient Egypt, dating from as far back as 3000 BC, were used to measure the progress of the year by the length of the shadow they cast. Stonehenge in Britain was probably built for the same purpose. It measured the year by the sunrise and sunset angle on the horizon.

It is possible to use other, easily observed, signs of the passage of the year. The annual disappearance and re-appearance of the stars has been used by many cultures. Natural signs such as the blossoming or fruiting of particular plants or the migrations of birds have also been used to mark the passing of the seasons. Maori used a combination of the stars and the natural signs to determine their new year.

For centuries Western Christianity has referenced time in relation to the birth of Christ. The abbreviation AD stands for Anno Domini, the Latin term meaning ‘in the year of the Lord’. Years after the birth of Christ are AD while years before this were BC or ‘Before Christ’. But for the Chinese, 2010 is a much older year. It is in fact the year 4708. Some other New Year's celebrated around the world include:

Muharram – Muslim New Year

The Islamic year begins on the first day of the month of Muharram. It is counted from the year of the Hegira (Anno Hegirae), when Muhammad emigrated from Mecca to Medina (16 July 622 AD). The Islamic calendar is lunar so Muharram moves from year to year. Months in the Islamic calendar begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. Muharram is derived from the word haram which means 'forbidden'. It is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is prohibited. The Muslim New Year which begins on 7 December 2010 marks the beginning of 1432 AH.

Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year

Rosh Hashanah is one of the most important religious holidays in the Jewish calendar. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means the ‘head of the year’, and it commemorates the creation of the world. It is observed on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar.

The Jewish calendar represents the number of years since creation, and this is calculated by adding up the ages of people in the Bible. So when we say that the year is 5763, that means 5763 years from the birth of Adam on the sixth day of Creation. On this basis the modern state of Israel was established in 5708.

The Jewish year is calculated by adding 3760 to what is known as the civil year; conversely, the civil year is obtained by subtracting 3760 from the Jewish year. So 2010 becomes 5770.

NZHistory, New Zealand history online - social studies level 5

Matariki and social studies

Further information

Social studies

Olympics classroom ideas

Social studies

History

Responding to tragedy - Classroom activities

Social studies

NCEA history

Erebus disaster - classroom activities

Social studies

NCEA history

More classroom topics

Wahine disaster - classroom activities

Social studies

NCEA history

More classroom topics

Tangiwai disaster - classroom activities

Social studies

NCEA history

More classroom topics

Classroom activities - New Zealand disasters

Social studies

NCEA history

More classroom topics

Classroom ideas - Passchendaele

New Zealanders in Belgium

Social studies

NCEA history

More classroom topics

Classroom ideas - Dominion status

Dominion status

Social studies

NCEA Level 2 history

More classroom topics

Measuring time

Muharram – Muslim New Year

Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year