New resource explores whakapapa, identity and belonging

Photo by Stacey Simpkin, copyright © Crown.

Painting Stories is designed to be read aloud to ākonga and the teacher support material suggests ways ākonga can make connections with the people, events, and changes in their own rohe.

The resource has been created to support the refreshed te ao tangata | social sciences learning area, building on key concepts such as whakapapa, identity, belonging, manaakitanga, and tūrangawaewae. It also connects to literacy and language skills in both te reo Māori and English. 

The focus of the book is a Roxburgh mural created by artists Hayley King and Ross Liew (their artist names are Flox and TrustMe). 

The mural is designed to foster a sense of belonging for seasonal workers working in the Teviot Valley and recognises the waves of migration and settlement that have shaped the region.

Narrated by Hayley and Ross, the book unpacks the symbolism in the mural. The symbols at the base of the mural point to a local pūrākau – the legend of Kōpūwai – while the golden mountains at the top represent the dreams of Chinese miners. 

Thistles are painted to represent the Scots. And sprouting coconuts, crabs, and birds reflect the home countries of seasonal workers, many from the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

At the centre of the mural and the stories in the big book, is the Mata-au, the powerful awa that runs through the Teviot Valley. The river formed part of a trail to the West Coast that Ngāi Tahu people living on the east coast followed to source pounamu. There was also a bird hunting camp near Roxburgh. 

Māori connections with the rohe are expressed through the pūrākau of Kōpūwai, a giant who lived near the river with his pack of ferocious two-headed dogs. 

Ross says the mural shows Roxburgh is a place that’s important to lots of different people and cultures. He says during the gold rush people from all over the world came to the area, including many Chinese miners. Some made money and then returned home to their families while others stayed and made Aotearoa their home. 

Painting Stories also provides maps of the area to show where these places are and the trails people used. 

At the end, Hayley asks ākonga, “Who are the people who are connected to your community? How could you help people who live in your place feel like they are welcome and belong?”

Copyright © Hayley King/Ross Liew.

Teacher support material

The teacher support materials that accompany Painting Stories provide sets of activities that look at these questions and draw on the themes of whakapapa, identity, belonging, manaakitanga, and tūrangawaewae.

This material will help kaiako understand the new elements of  “Understand, Know and Do” statements and bring them to life through this rich and meaningful content.

They look at: 

• the meaning of place names to help ākonga explore the concepts of whakapapa and tūrangawaewae
• how people express their culture through stories about the past to help bring the concepts of culture, identity and tūrangawaewae alive
• the way people use symbols to express their connections with a place or their culture 
• the changing ways that people live and work in a rohe
• working in groups to create a social action plan to help all people in the school community feel welcomed and valued by exploring their wants, needs and their decisions.  
• The support material also provides links to external resources such as a Ngāi Tahu values webpage that can be used to make comparisons with school values and a School Journal retelling of the story of Kōpūwai by Brian Pōtiki.
• Schools and kura started implementing the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories and Te Takanga o Te Wā content at the beginning of 2023. This content is embedded in the te ao tangata |social sciences learning area which was the first to be refreshed and was released in November 2022. 
• It’s not compulsory for the rest of the refreshed curriculum to be implemented until the beginning of 2027.

Teacher support materials and a PDF of Painting Stories can be found at ssol.tki.org.nz(external link)