Kia tūhuru tahi - Discovering together

Many of us have not grown up with diverse learning opportunities about Aotearoa New Zealand's histories. It can feel uncomfortable to not know about things. 

We encourage kaiako to position themselves as co-learners with tamariki, whānau, kaiako, and community. We hope you enjoy using these cards as an opportunity to discover together the many and varied histories around you. 

How to use the cards 

• These cards are designed to support you to talk about Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories. 
• Each card has an image on the front to stimulate interest about a key message from our shared histories. 
• On the back are ideas about talking to tamariki, links to Te Whāriki, and ideas for intentional teaching practice and discussion. 

See the Materials that come with this resource to download Aotearoa New Zealand's histories kōrero cards (.pdf). 

Find some further ideas on how to use the cards in your setting. 

• Give tamariki time and space to get familiar with the cards, independent of kaiako. They may need time to wonder, explore, and form thoughts and ideas. 
• Think about how you can use the cards in different areas of play. For example, as a provocation in the art area, in the home corner, on the bookshelf, or next to the sandpit. This can help explore different ideas. 
• Set up the environment with the intention to support the children to explore Aotearoa New Zealand's histories. Use the cards as part of a learning provocation – such as with other resources like taonga and books linked to voyaging, language, identity, and culture. 
• Follow the child’s lead and talk about the things that are of interest to them at that moment. There is no such thing as off-topic as tamariki hone their ideas about the world. 
• Watch how different tamariki interact with the cards, what they are interested in, or what they say. How can you extend their interest? For example, if they talk about the waka, how could you extend that to provide rich learning opportunities? 
• You can capture the stories and ideas tamariki have and encourage them to record their own ideas through drawing, writing, photographs, or videos. 

With your colleagues, you could explore the following ideas. 

What are the stories of our local place names?

• Discover the stories, meanings, and histories of the original Māori place names. You could do this alongside whānau and tamariki to learn about local hapū and tangata whenua together. 

What is special about our rohe? 

• Explore and collaborate with your team to learn more about the unique stories and histories of your setting's local area.

What taonga have been passed down to your whānau? 

• Arrange visits to local marae or cultural centres to provide opportunities to engage with taonga first-hand. These visits can further enhance kaiako knowledge and appreciation of taonga. 
• Many iwi have websites and online information to help you learn more about their taonga. 

How did your family come to this area? 

• Share intriguing facts about voyaging between the team. What do you already know about voyaging from your own family stories?  
• Seek out resources on early voyaging at the local library. 

What is the story of your name? 

• Consider the principle of ako - where learning is reciprocal between kaiako, tamariki, and whānau. 
• To respect a child’s identity, make sure to ask their whānau for the correct pronunciation of their name. 

What impacts have people had on our area? 

• Explore the concept of place-based learning to help connect tamariki to the local environment and community, and to understand the importance of preserving it for future generations. 

How can we take care of our place? 

• Reflect on how you can positively impact the environment through changes to your teaching and curriculum. 

How can we nurture mana mokopuna? 

• Explore the mana mokopuna principles and discuss how these principles are visible in your setting. 
• Mana Mokopuna principles