- Curriculum level:
- 4 - 5
- Programme focus:
- What the Treaty says.
- Length of lesson:
- 45 – 90 minutes
Focus learning areas
- The text of Article one.
- The text of Article two.
- The key differences between the Māori language and English Text.
- The concept of taonga/treasures.
Achievement objectives
Students will gain knowledge, skills, and experience to:
- Understand how exploration and innovation create opportunities and challenges for people, places and environments.
- Understand that events have causes and effects.
- Understand how the ideas and actions of people in the past have had a significant impact on people’s lives.
- Understand how the Treaty of Waitangi is responded to differently by people in different times and different places
Learning outcomes
This programme will provide students with opportunities to:
- Review what they have learnt in previous lessons
- Discuss possible summary words to use for Article two of the Treaty.
- Identify treasures in their own life that are valuable to them.
- Explore examples of when Māori land, estates, fisheries, forests and treasures have not been protected.
Suggested activities
Recap
- What has been learnt about Article one?
- Within the reason that were listed in the Preamble for the Treaty. What did Queen Victoria promise to protect? (Māori ‘Rights and Property’) This is what Article two covers.
Article two
Ask for a volunteer to read out loud Article two (in English).
- What does the Queen guarantee ‘full exclusive and undisturbed possession’ of? (‘Lands and Estates Forests Fisheries and other properties’)
- Ask the students to think of words that begin with p that could be used to summarise Article two. (Protection, property, possessions could be used.)
Property
Recall the reasons that were listed in the Preamble. What did Queen Victoria promise to protect? (Māori ‘Rights and Property’) This is what Article Two covers.
Ask for a volunteer to read Article two out-loud.
- What does the Queen guarantee, ‘full exclusive and undisturbed possession’ of? (‘Lands and Estates Forests Fisheries and other properties’)
- Ask the students to think of words that begin with p that could be used to summarise Article two. (Protection, property, possessions could be used.)
Differences in translation
- Looking at the Māori text of the Treaty, ask the students to locate and highlight the words ‘ratou taonga katoa’. This is the translation of the English text ‘other properties’.
- Ask if anyone has heard the word taonga before and if so, do they know the meaning?
- The closest English translation of taonga, is treasure. Therefore, in the Māori translation, the words ‘all treasures’, have been used for ‘other properties’.
Taonga/treasures
- Have a class brainstorm on what people consider to be their treasures. Encourage the students to not only think of material items such as cell phone, clothing etc, but also of things such as family, culture, language, friends.
- Discuss the fact that most of the Māori chiefs who agreed to the Treaty signed the Māori language text (more than 480 of the approximate 520). The chiefs therefore believed that not only their lands, estates, forests and fisheries were protected, but also other treasures such as their culture, rituals and language.
Promises kept / promises broken?
The agreements in Article two were not always upheld. The students will be given the opportunity to research this further in future lessons.
Promises kept / promises broken?
- Ask the students if they think Māori land, estates, forest, fisheries and treasures have always been protected?
- Examples of breaches can be found:
http://www.treaty2u.govt.nz/the-treaty-today/raising-their-voices/
http://www.treaty2u.govt.nz/the- treaty- today/te- reo- Māori/
A more interactive way to explore this topic is to play the ‘Power Game’ see:
http://www.treaty2u.govt.nz/Interactive/powergame/powergame_06.html
All case studies in this game are from real life examples.
Supporting information
Text of the Treaty
http://www.treaty2u.govt.nz/the-treaty-up-close/
Harris, Aroha
Hīkoi: Forty Years of Māori Protest
Huia Publishers, Wellington, 2004
King,Michael
The Penguin History of New Zealand
Penguin Books Ltd, Auckland, 2003
Orange, Claudia
An Illustrated History of The Treaty of Waitangi, Revised edition
Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, 2004
