12 February - 18 February

Pre Treaty Activities

• Find out what the students know about the history of Aotearoa New Zealand. Have them work in groups to come up with significant events in our history. 
• Read through Comic SJSL_Te Tiriti 0 Waitangi-2ndEd.pdf
• Work towards a class timeline of events. You may like to structure this in the same way as the story (before Te Tiriti, after Te Tiriti).
• Explain that for hundreds of years, Aotearoa New Zealand was a solely Māori land. 
• Work through Pre-Treaty Activities on GC.
• Watch the He Whenua Rangatira video from the National Library of New Zealand He Tohu exhibition to give us a sense of the early migrations of hapū and iwi around the country:   . 
• Discuss the importance of the natural resources that were traded here and overseas.
• Explain that in 1835, He Whakaputanga – the Declaration of Independence told the world that Aotearoa New Zealand was a Māori country and that rangatira were in charge.
• Watch this He Tohu video that shows the voyages of Te Tiriti to find out whether it came to your region:   .
• complete sheet on the New Zealand History website: https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/treaty/making-the-treaty/treaty-of-waitangi-signing-  locations. This website provides biographical information on each person who signed Te Tiriti. Encourage students with a personal connection to Te Tiriti to look for people from their hapū or iwi.