Team Kahikatea recently visited the Canterbury Museum as part of their year long Inquiry into Sustainability → Taking Action, Making a Change - Citizenship and te reo Māori programmes.

The focus of our visit was to participate in and learn through the following programmes:

• Iwi Tawhito Whenua Hou-How did the first people arrive from East Polynesia around 800 years ago? What challenges did they face and how did they adapt to meet those challenges?

• Ngā Taonga Te Ao Māori – Tangata Whenua – Manaakitanga. Our cultural practices hold an important and significant place in our heritage, how do we acknowledge the past in today’s society? Interwoven with korero and hands on exploration in the Ngā Taonga Gallery, students gained a greater understanding of tikanga and how Māori interacted with their environment to meet their needs.

• Māori technology- how Māori applied their skills and knowledge to develop tools in a new environment. Why did this technology need to be adapted to suit their survival needs and new lifestyle?

We had a fantastic day and everyone came away with a greater understanding and appreciation of tikanga, taonga and the challenges faced (and how these challenges were overcome) by Māori in New Zealand. 

Check out the photos on Team Kahikatea's Blog.