Tuia Mātauranga and local histories
This resource introduces the Tuia Mātauranga education programme and its implementation in early learning. This resource is part of the “Aotearoa New Zealand histories” set. See the resource carousel for more.
Tuia te here tangata - Making meaningful connections
2019 marked 250 years since the first onshore meetings between Māori and non-Māori. Tuia – Encounters 250 (Tuia 250) were the national commemorations that recognised this milestone in our history. Children and young people were a key focus of Tuia 250.
The national Tuia Mātauranga education programme invited kaiako and learners to develop knowledge of their whakapapa and identity by exploring local history, including the stories of who they are and where they came from.
Tuia Mātauranga presented an opportunity for kaiako to explore deeper understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the bicultural underpinnings of Te Whāriki.
Exploring a local story
The video below describes how children from Kidsfirst Kindergartens Lyttelton learn about the great Māori navigator Tamatea Pōkai Whenua.
Tuia Mātauranga teaching and learning guides
Included with this resource are four guides that you can download that weave together Te Whāriki strands, goals, learning outcomes, and this kaupapa. The guides include inquiry questions and ideas on how these could be explored in your service.
See Materials that come with this resource to download:
- Voyaging early learning teaching and learning guide (.pdf)
- First Encounters early learning teaching and learning guide (.pdf)
- New Zealand History early learning teaching and learning guide (.pdf)
- Legacy of Learning early learning teaching and learning guide (.pdf)
The passage below greets visitors at the entrance to Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi. It speaks of journeys to Aotearoa, meetings, and the beginnings of conversations that continue today.
Text courtesy of Te Kōngahu Museum of Waitangi
NAVIGATORS
Mō te katoa ka haere mai ki tēnei whenua me whakawhiti i te tahora nui o te moana kia tae mai ai.
Nā te māia me ngā pūkenga whakatere nunui i tae mai ai te Māori ki tēnei whenua, me te Pākehā i ngā rau tau whai muri mai. Ināianei me whakatere aua iwi e rua i ngā wai tauhou o tētahi whanaungatanga.
Me rata tētahi ki tētahi kia whiwhi ai ki ā rāua ake hiahia. Ka whakamātauria ngā taupātanga a tētahi ki tētahi, ka whakariterite kōrero, ā, i ētahi wā ka kakari. Ka tīmataria te kōrerorero.
NGĀ KAIWHAKATERE
All who come to this country have to cross a vast stretch of water to get here.
Boldness and great navigational skill brought Māori to these shores, then Europeans, hundreds of years later. Now two peoples had to navigate the unknown waters of a relationship.
Each had to come to terms with the other to get what they wanted. They tested boundaries, they negotiated, sometimes they clashed. The conversation began.
Tuia Mātauranga
Tuia 250 was an opportunity to hold honest conversations about the past, the present, and how we navigate our shared future together. Beyond Tuia 250 we can continue to speak openly and respectfully about our history, its impact on our people, and the environment. We can reflect on the challenges we face as a nation committed to bicultural practices: how we can enable our diverse cultures to flourish in a shared future that we will be proud to leave for generations to come.
Tuia Mātauranga aimed to inspire kaiako, children, and whānau to explore their own stories of who they are and where they come from – to develop their knowledge of whakapapa and identity.
Examples of designing local curriculum using Tuia Mātauranga
The following examples illustrate how Te Waenganui Childcare Centre and Kidsfirst Kindergartens Lyttelton have applied elements of Tuia Mātauranga in designing focus areas for a local curriculum.
Kua kite rānei koe?
Tuia Mātauranga in your context
Using Tuia Mātauranga ideas and resources is an opportunity for similar conversations and practice to emerge in your early learning service.
Remember to:
- reach out to members of your community and explore local facilities to learn about the local history and stories of your rohe
- use Tuia Mātauranga themes and topics as you brainstorm possible lines of direction for your local curriculum
- use the Tuia Mātauranga PDF resources for suggestions and ideas
- imagine planning as a process of deepening learning over time where you return to ideas, experiences, and concepts in different ways.
Tuia Mātauranga has strong connections with each of the principles and strands of Te Whāriki.
Refer to the goals and learning outcomes of Te Whāriki to prioritise and guide your exploration of the Tuia Mātauranga topics and themes.
The following resources will help you with this.
An in-depth curriculum investigation of any of the Tuia Mātauranga themes is an opportunity for kaiako to:
- develop further cultural competence
- integrate domain knowledge
- be role models for languages and learning
- interpret theories that underpin effective pedagogy in Te Whāriki, its framework, and intent.
Learning maps for the Tuia 250 topics from early learning through to year 10 are available on the National Library website.
Voyaging
He Kōrero Pūrākau Mo Ngā Taunahanahatanga a Ngā Tūpuna, Place names of the ancestors: A Māori oral history atlas.
This book is a useful resource for those seeking information on Māori navigation and navigators.
- Find the book online at Toitū Te Whenua, Land Information New Zealand.
- Download the full book (pdf).
First Encounters
Let’s be honest – Jenny Shipley
In this video the national coordinating co-chair of Tuia 250 discusses the purpose of marking the first meeting of Māori and non-Māori.
New Zealand History
National Library pūrākau resources
This resource has links to videos, images, websites, and articles of Māori pūrākau.
Te Ara – The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
Te Ara is an online reference for information on the people, environment, history, culture, and society of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Provides information and resources for educators that could be adapted for use in early learning services.
Legacy of Learning
Bicultural nature of Te Whāriki
A video presentation by Dr Lesley Rameka on the bicultural perspective of the 2017 Te Whāriki curriculum.
Place-based education
Māori educationalist Professor Wally Penetito shares his views on the value of place-based curriculum in retaining knowledge of local history and tikanga, as well as challenging taken-for-granted world views.
Tuia 250 an opportunity to share stories
In this video Dr Wayne Ngata, a former teacher and noted te reo Māori specialist, says Tuia 250 is an opportunity to highlight stories of Aotearoa New Zealand. He encourages the use of storytelling as a way to expand understanding of our past.
Wayfinding leadership: Wisdom for developing potential
In this TEDx talk Chellie Spiller talks about leadership, drawing inspiration from early Māori navigators.
Kua kite rānei koe?
About this resource
Tuia Encounters 250 (Tuia 250) were the national commemorations that recognised 250 years since the first onshore meetings between Māori and non-Māori. This resource includes:
- the four Tuia Mātauranga guides designed to support early learning settings to explore their local history
- examples of how kaiako, children, and whānau can explore their own stories of who they are and where they are from
- guidance about further resources.
This resource is part of the “Aotearoa New Zealand histories” set. See the resource carousel for more.