Te Tai – Treaty Settlement Stories

Quick-fire questions

Watch webisode two then answer these questions.

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Activities

Open Google Docs to record your answers 

Activities for everyone

Soldiers from Ngati Porou played a significant role in New Zealand’s military efforts during the world wars. Maori from other iwi also fought in these wars.

1. Conduct your own research to find out if any of your tipuna fought during the wars.

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Here are some questions to help guide your research:

• How many people from your whanau served overseas?
• Where did they fight?
• Do you have any pictures of them?
• Did they return from the war?
• How old were they when they went to war?
• Did they have any children when they left for war?
• Who in your whanau might be able to help you with your research?

Present your findings:

• by doing an oral presentation to your class
• as a visual poster
• as a written report with images
• as a short video.

2. Brainstorm some ideas about different ways your whanau or kura today could acknowledge and remember those soldiers who fought in the war.

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Activities if your kura is in Ngati Porou or you are from Ngati Porou

1. Visit the C Company Maori Battalion Memorial House in Gisborne.

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• Do you have tipuna in this whare? Who? How old were they were they went to war?
• Did they return from war alive?
• Who else in your class has photos of their tipuna in this memorial?
• What do you think life was like back at home when all these men left for war?
• How do you think their whanau felt seeing them go off to fight in the war?

2. Choose a person whose picture is on display in the C Company Maori Battalion Memorial House in Gisborne to research. Create a report about this soldier. It could be one of your tipuna who fought in the war, or someone else.

Themes: 

Here are some questions to help guide your research:

• What is the soldier’s name?
• What rank or role did they hold in the army?
• When did they go to war?
• Where were they sent to fight?
• Did anyone else from their whanau get sent to fight?
• What was their experience like during the war?
• What do you think life was like for them after the war?
• How do you think you would feel if you were called to go and fight for your iwi or country in a place on the other side of the world?

You could present your report as:

• a written report with images
• a PowerPoint presentation to your class.

Activities if your kura is outside of Ngati Porou or you are from another iwi

1. Lots of towns and cities have memorials to their servicemen who fought during the wars. Look for a memorial in your town or city and pay it a visit.

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• What kind of memorial is it?
• What (if any) messages does it include?
• What kind of condition is it in? Is it looked after? Who is responsible for taking care of it?
• Do people visit it?
• In what other ways does your town or city remember its servicemen?

2. If your town does not have a memorial to its servicemen who fought in the wars, design a memorial that you think would be appropriate. Draw an image or write a description of what you think it should look like. Explain why you have chosen this design and the meaning behind it.

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3. Write a letter or create a video to persuade your local council that a memorial should be established to remember the sacrifice of the servicemen from your town who died during the wars. Your letter or video must be convincing and should give solid reasons as to why you think a memorial should be created. It should also include a description of the kind of memorial that you think would be appropriate.

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