In Aotearoa New Zealand, our ancestors all came from another place. Our society is a rich blend of origins, cultures, languages, traditions, religions and foods from all over the world. Early Māori sailed thousands of miles to reach Aotearoa New Zealand. Their routes were preserved in memory or recorded in song. Upon arrival they weaved place names and overland route descriptions into oral histories. These have been passed from generation to generation. Iwi mapping was therefore an oral tradition. The pepeha, for example, is an important form of introduction. It links individuals to their tribal roots and significant landmarks. The forerunner to the Global Positioning System (GPS)!
Join us as we explore the diverse heritage of a classroom, their stories and how they came to Aotearoa New Zealand. Meet with their parents and understand some of the challenges they faced in making this country their home. Your guides will be other students who have been using digital maps to create a record of their origins and the places that support their identity.
Curated resource collection
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A New Reading of Tupaia's Chart, by Anne di Piazza & Erik Pearthree→
/One of the most intriguing artefacts brought back to Europe from Cook’s voyages in the Pacific is a map, Tupaia’s Chart, catalogued in the British Museum as a “Chart of the Society Islands with Otaheite in the center July-Aug 1769”. After decades of close, focused work on Tupaia’s Chart, it still cannot be read as a Mercator projection.
Many islands, even archipelagos seem to be misplaced. Could it be that Tupaia simply failed to solve the problem of converting his view of the Ocean world onto a twodimensional map, with a scale and azimuths?
In this paper, we propose a different reading of his Chart, a reading that is in accordance with how traditional Pacific navigators conceived of their sea environment, i.e., through memorised lists of “relevant pairs of islands plus so-called ‘star courses’ between these islands”. We conclude that Tupaia’s Chart, while having the appearance of a map, is in fact a mosaic of sailing directions or plotting diagrams drawn on paper, similar to those made by master navigators tracing lines in the sand or arranging pebbles on a mat to instruct their pupils.
Tupapa→
/Our ancestors journeyed from Polynesia to Turanganui-a-Kiwa (Gisborne) more than 700 years ago. Tupapa: Our Stand. Our Story is a project to tell our rich, interwoven stories that have been passed down about the first people to navigate to and inhabit this place.
Te Taniwha o Whangapārāoa, Ko te wāhanga Māori nā Roka Paora. Ko te wāhanga Pākehā me ngā whakaahua nā Cathie Penetito Te Wharekura 21→
/Poem about a young boy who sees Cook's ship off the coast of Whangapārāoa (Bay of Plenty) and in running to tell his people, wakes a taniwha. Bilingual.
Matariki and Navigation - Kupe, Cook and Today →
/The 2019 sestercentennial commemoration of Captain Cook's first visit, called Tuia 250 First Encounters, is a time to reflect on the skills and knowledge of the people who discovered and founded Aotearoa New Zealand.
Matariki was originally a solar celebration that marked the solstice and let people commemorate dead and think about new year. Matariki means the eye of the Ariki, as the small star cluster rises just before dawn in early June from the same point that the Sun rises on the north-eastern horizon. This heralds the Māori New Year: a perfect time for our journey of discovery to explore the significance of Matariki; to appreciate the importance of stars in early navigation; to paddle a traditional waka; to explore Cook's landing sites; to use 18th century navigation and charting techniques, and to see how they compare with modern marine navigation and charting.
Tuia Mātauranga - Encounters 250 topic in Science Learning Hub→
/The topic page about Tuia Encounters 250 and Tuia Mātauranga in the Science Learning Hub website. Includes some resources for Tui Kōreroreo: Ngā Pātai.
Roadside Stories by Ministry for Culture and Heritage→
/Roadside Stories is a series of audio guides that follow major road trips in New Zealand. The stories cover the places you’ll pass along the way – their people, their history, their cultural and natural significance.
Provenance of Power – Constitutional Documents→
/A curated online exhibition that features twelve of the most important, historic, and significant constitutional milestones from our holdings. It includes Te Kara (the United Tribes Flag), He Whakaputanga, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, 1839 Letters Patent, the Charter of 1840, the 1852 Constitution Act, the Kohimarama Conference, the Māori Representation Act 1867, the 1893 Women’s Suffrage Petition, and others. Each document is described and available to download. Includes te reo Māori in the documents themselves, but not as part of the learning resource.
Journal of Captain Cook's Last Voyage to the Pacific Ocean→
/First hand account of Cook's last voyage, 1776 - 1780, from on board the Discovery (Cook was on board the Resolution). Contains details of the visit to Ship Cove / Meretoto on that voyage, including the flora and fauna as encountered by the crew at the time.
James Cook: The Third Voyage (1776 - 1779) by Heather Smith→
/A story map showing Cook's third and final (and fatal) voyage. Produced for a course at Nova Scotia Community College, Canada.
Timeline: The Te Pahi Medal→
/The Te Pahi medal is a taonga (treasure) of national importance: the first official state gift given to a Māori chief. Explore the history of the Te Pahi Medal (in English and te reo Māori) in this timeline.
The account of Cook's visit by Te Horeta Taniwha, reproduced in the NZ Electronic Text Collection→
/An account of Cook's visit to Mercury Bay by Te Horeta Taniwha. Includes Te Horeta's own account of the story known as "Te Horeta's nail".
Tupaia's Endeavour, on Māori television→
/A TV series telling the story of Tupaia. Artist Michel Tuffery, historian Paul Tapsell, and actor Kirk Torrance meet with Gisborne and Uawa-Tolaga Bay identities, anthropologist Dame Anne Salmond, waka hourua (twin-hulled voyaging canoe) crew, Tupaia’s descendants and others as they explore the Tahitian’s role during those early encounters in New Zealand.
Pacific Navigation topic, in National Library Services to Schools→
/This topic focuses on Polynesian explorers and the extraordinary navigation skills they used to cross the Pacific Ocean. Also included are the navigational tools and techniques used by European Pacific voyages of discovery.
New Zealand History topic in National Library Services to Schools→
/The Māori were the first settlers of Aotearoa, followed by the Europeans. Discover the history of New Zealand’s landscape, its people, events, places, identity, and cultures from sites like Te Ara, Te Papa, DigitalNZ, and NZ History. SCIS no. 1808403.
He Tohu Colonial Life in New Zealand topic in National Library Services to Schools→
/Colonial New Zealand covers the years 1769-1914. The resources include European discovery of New Zealand, contact with Māori, New Zealand wars, Pākehā colonisation, social life, economy, politics and major events of the time. SCIS no: 1838439.
First encounters topic in National Library Services to Schools→
/This topic explores the First Encounters between Polynesians cultures (particularly Māori) and European explorers. The resulting cultural interactions had a profound impact on indigenous societies and also defined the New Zealand/Aotearoa of today. Collection includes images, books, articles, websites, videos, and audio.
Lost in Translation, in NZonScreen→
/Inspired by an epiphany at the Waitangi Treaty grounds in 2000, and after learning New Zealand’s founding document was actually several pieces of paper, comedian Mike King went on a quest to learn the stories behind Te Tiriti O Waitangi. King traces the 1840 path of the nine sheets as it accrued its 540 signatures, meets Māori and Pākehā descendants of those involved, and connects with his Māori heritage. The 10-part series screened on Māori Television. Dominion Post critic Linda Burgess acclaimed it as “dignified, conciliatory, informative ...”
Uncharted with Sam Neill television series→
/250 years after Captain James Cook began his epic exploration of the Pacific, Sam Neill journeys in his wake uncovering stories that resonate from those times from both sides of the beach. Visiting the islands and lands where Cook went, and meeting the descendants of the people Cook met, Sam explores the trials and triumphs, disasters, and delights that followed. Was Cook an instrument of imperial expansion or an enlightened explorer? Whether admired or admonished, Captain James Cook is forever linked to the Pacific, its heritage, and its future.
Heritage Trail Apps, by Heritage New Zealand→
/Heritage Trails - your gateway to some unforgettable heritage experiences through a series of free, interactive tours for smart phones and tablets. Experience history right where it happened, and listen to extraordinary stories of amazing people and places. There are three apps:
Path to Nationhood, Northland
The Waikato War 1863-64
High Street Stories (High Street Christchurch, before the earthquakes of 2010/11).