In this recorded professional learning session Greta Dromgool invites guest speaker Associate Professor Hēmi Whaanga to discuss mātauranga Māori1 and to share his perspectives and experiences.
Hēmi lectures in mātauranga2 and science at the University of Waikato and in this webinar he unpacks some key ideas teachers need to be thinking about when planning to incorporate ideas such as Matariki3, Māori astronomy and navigation.
So fascinating….. I have scribbled notes and links everywhere! Ka Rawe!
Teacher
You can download the video and slideshow presentation.
Thank you for the PD on Thursday, it sparked some interesting ideas and was really valuable.
Teacher
| Topic | Slide show number(s) | Video timecode |
| Welcome | 1 | 00:00 |
| Introducing the Science Learning Hub and presenters | 2–4 | 00:19 |
| Index | 5 | 2:25 |
| Exploring mātauranga Māori – teacher ideas | 6–7 | 2:36 |
| Exploring mātauranga Māori – perspectives | 8–13 | 4:03 |
| Science and mātauranga | 14 | 12:38 |
| Maramataka, weather4 and fresh water | 15–17 | 15:16 |
| Students, making connections and whakapapa5 | 18–22 | 21:19 |
| Tātai arorangi6 and Matariki | 23–27 | 28:19 |
| Navigation | 28–29 | 38:12 |
| SLH links, keep in touch and thanks | 30–31 | 39:41 |
Nature of science
The Nature of Science7 Strand Understanding Science asks us to “Learn about science as a knowledge system: the features of scientific knowledge and the processes by which it is developed; and learn about the ways in which the work of scientists interacts with society.” Gaining an understanding of mātauranga Māori is an important way for students to see themselves in science and to develop an understanding of science as one way of knowing about the world. See our article The ‘Understanding about science’ strand for more information.
Related content
For an introduction to mātauranga Māori and science, read this article, and to discover many more resources, explore our Mātauranga Māori topic.
In this webinar we touch on ideas about Matariki, Māori astronomy, maramataka, weather and navigation.
You may also be interested in these webinars:
- Opportunities for using te reo Māori
- Mātauranga and the Living World
- Whakanui pūtaiao
- Tame Malcolm – indigenous pest management
- Local curriculum, mātauranga and science
- Te Kāhui o Matariki and the environment
- He whetū ki te rangi, he waka ki te moana
Indigenous knowledge is increasingly valued, but to fully respect it we need to decolonise science – find out more in this article.
Many of our resources incorporating te reo Māori can be found in this article here.
To explore different aspects of research utilising science and mātauranga Māori, have a look at our Pinterest curation of resources here.
The Science Learning Hub team has curated a collection of resources related to opportunities for using te reo Māori. Login to make this collection part of your private collection, just click on the copy icon. You can then add additional content, notes and make other changes. Registering an account for the Science Learning Hubs is easy and free – sign up with your email address or Google account. Look for the Sign in button at the top of each page.
Acknowledgement
The Science Learning Hub would like to thank Associate Professor Hēmi Whaanga for his involvement in this webinar.
Useful links
Read this article, Busting the myths about mātauranga Māori from The Spinoff, written by Professor Ella Henry (Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, Te Rarawa, Ngāti Kuri), director of Māori advancement at the AUT Business School.
Read this article by Dr Georgina Stewart, her aim is to unpack the issues implicit in the current trends to incorporate Māori knowledge in the secondary science curriculum, and help science teachers see the new standards in a more balanced and optimistic way.
Stewart, G. (2022). Mātauranga Māori and secondary science teaching: 2022. Teachers’ Work, 19(2), 84-90. https://doi.org/10.24135/teacherswork.v19i2.359.
Watch this Mātauranga Māori in Education, Education Hub webinar recording with Dr Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal (Marutūahu, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngā Puhi) from 2023.
Evidence8 supports the teaching of Indigenous9 knowledge alongside sciences in the classroom, read more in Amanda Black, Jason M. Tylianakis, Teach Indigenous knowledge alongside science. Science 383, 592–594 (2024). DOI:10.1126/science.adi9606
- mātauranga Māori: A contemporary term referring to Māori knowledge, Māori ways of knowing and associated practice.
- mātauranga: Māori cultural knowledge and understanding of the world; Māori wisdom.
- Matariki: A star cluster that appears in the early morning sky for the first time in the year in late May or June. It marks the beginning of the Māori New Year.
- weather: Daily or short-term conditions like temperature, cloud cover, precipitation and wind affecting a certain area.
- whakapapa: The familial connection, genealogy, ancestry and lineage of living things and non-living things.
- tātai arorangi: Astronomy, knowledge of celestial bodies.
- nature of science: The Nature of Science (NoS), is an overarching and unifying strand of the New Zealand science curriculum. Through it, students develop the skills, attitudes and values to build a foundation for understanding the world around them – understanding how science works in order to make links between scientific knowledge and everyday decisions and actions.
- evidence: Data, or information, used to prove or disprove something.
- indigenous: Originating and living or occurring naturally in an area or environment. People who are the original inhabitants of an area, or their descendants.
