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NZC – Social Sciences Phase 4 (Years 9–10)

This page provides the draft Years 9–10 Social Sciences Learning Area. This is now available for wider feedback and familiarisation.  The current Social Sciences curriculum remains in effect until 1 January 2027.

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About this resource

This page provides the draft Years 9–10 Social Sciences Learning Area. This is now available for wider feedback and familiarisation. The current Social Sciences curriculum remains in effect until 1 January 2027 and can be found here: The New Zealand Curriculum – Social Sciences.

Unuhia te rito o te harakeke kei whea te kōmako e kō?
Whakatairangitia — rere ki uta, rere ki tai;
Ui mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o te ao,
Māku e kī atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata!

Nā, Meri Ngāroto, Te Aupōuri (1830s)

Remove the heart of the flax bush and where will the kōmako sing?
Proclaim it to the land, proclaim it to the sea;
Ask me, 'What is the greatest thing in the world?'
I will reply, 'It is people, people, people!'.

History

Knowledge

The facts, concepts, principles, and theories to teach.

Practices

The skills, strategies, and applications to teach.

During Year 9

During Year 10

During Year 9

During Year 10

New Zealand History

CHANGE IN NEW ZEALAND 1840–1914

Immigration

  • Consider push factors, pull factors, and what settlers did on arrival for each of the following groups:
    • British and Irish migration (1840s –1870s)
    • Otago and Westland gold rushes (1861 –1867)
    • Government-assisted migration and new settlements.

How immigration was shaped by predominant views of the time

  • Wakefield and Vogel schemes; views of New Zealand as a ‘fairer Britain of the South Seas’ and a ‘Better Britain’; dominant views of ‘ideal’ citizens as white, non-alien, able-bodied, and able-minded (e.g. laws controlling immigration like the Chinese Immigrants Act 1881, Imbecile Passengers Act 1882).
  • 1881–1934 poll tax on Chinese immigrants and other discriminatory practices against Chinese (2002 formal government apology).

Changing land use and other economic changes between 1840 and 1914

  • Iwi and hapū adaptations to new economic opportunities. For example, gold mining (guiding miners through passes to the West Coast, mining in the Aorere Valley), geothermal tourism, flour mills (in the Waikato, Taranaki, Whanganui, Rotorua, and Wairarapa), shipping (e.g. the purchase of vessels by iwi from the Bay of Islands, Hauraki, the Bay of Plenty, the East Coast, and Poverty Bay to transport essential produce for sustaining early European towns), and food production to supply growing European settlements (e.g. Nelson was entirely dependent on Māori for supplies; potatoes, wheat, and pigs were supplied to Wellington; Ngāi Tahu sold potatoes from Taieri and Moeraki at Ōtākou, near Dunedin).
  • Damage to Māori economic activity. For example, as a result of competition from steam-driven flour mills, the fall in the price of wheat and potatoes in Australia in the late 1850s, the impact of the New Zealand Wars, the blockading of Māori-controlled ports, the growing self-sufficiency of settlements, and the loss of fertile land due to confiscations and decisions of the Native Land Court.
  • Widespread transformation of land into farms, especially for sheep and dairy, reshaping the environment for export-led agriculture.
  • Richard Seddon (Prime Minister 1893–1906) was New Zealand’s longest-serving Prime Minister. He led major reforms in land, labour, and welfare, and shaped New Zealand’s early identity.
  • Crown land policies and legislation including establishment of the Native Land Court under the Native Lands Act (1865), enabling the conversion of communal Māori land into individual titles. Māori resistance to subsequent land loss including Kīngitanga and petitions.
  • Development of new towns, Māori urban migration, rail lines, and refrigerated trade linked rural production to overseas markets and supported the rise of a settler economy anchored in farming, small-scale industry, and ties to Britain: Main Trunk Line (1908), refrigeration (1882), and their role in export growth.

Causes, key events, and outcomes of the New Zealand Wars (1845–1872)

  • Assertions of sovereignty by both Māori and the British, land disputes, and mana in fuelling conflict.
  • Overview of regional conflicts: Waikato, Tauranga, Taranaki, Whanganui, Te Kooti’s War.
  • Alignment of different Māori groups and their motivations including strategic, political, and economic considerations (e.g. Tāmati Waka Nene).
  • Role of Wiremu Tāmihana, Te Pōtatau Wherowhero, and Tāwhaio in the Kīngitanga movement.

Outcomes

  • Long-term consequences for Māori land ownership, tūrangawaewae, and Māori-Crown relations.

THE ASIA-PACIFIC AND NEW ZEALAND, c.1910–1970S

The consequences of imperial rule and resistance in the Asia-Pacific (c.1910–1941)

  • European colonial control over territories in Southeast Asia, including British Malaya, French Indochina, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines.
  • Indigenous resistance and early nationalist movements, including the 1911 Xinhai Revolution and the March 1st Movement in Korea.
  • Growth of Japanese imperialism; previous expansion into Taiwan then Korea, and mainland China.
  • New Zealand’s administration of what was Western Samoa under mandate from 1914 including mishandling of the influenza pandemic. Local resistance, including the Mau movement and Black Saturday (1929).

The consequences of war and occupation in the Asia-Pacific (1941–1945)

  • Japanese expansion across East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, including the attack on Pearl Harbor.
  • Invasion and occupation of countries such as Burma, the Philippines, Malaya, and parts of China.
  • Consequences of occupation on local populations; instances of resistance and collaboration.
  • The use of atomic bombs and the surrender of Japan.

Geopolitical changes after the war (1945–1949)

  • Defeat and dismantling of the Japanese Empire; U.S. occupation and reforms in Japan.
  • Division of Korea and growing influence of the USA and USSR in the region.
  • Chinese Civil War and the founding of the People’s Republic of China (1949).
  • The emergence of Cold War tensions across Asia.

The Cold War in Asia and New Zealand’s role (1950s–1970s)

  • New Zealand’s military involvement in the Korean War, Vietnam War, Malayan Emergency, and Indonesia — Malaysia Confrontation.
  • Alignment with U.S. Cold War strategy through SEATO, ANZUS, and participation in the Colombo Plan.
  • Regional instability and the rise of authoritarian regimes in countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia.

Political change in the Pacific and Southeast Asia

  • Western Samoa’s (now Samoa) independence (1962); self-government of the Cook Islands (1965) and Niue (1974) under New Zealand’s administration.
  • Independence of Malaysia and Singapore; broader retreat of European colonial powers from Southeast Asia.
  • Independence movements across the Pacific, including Fiji (1970), Papua New Guinea (1975), and Vanuatu (1980) and Tonga’s (2010) transition to constitutional monarchy, New Zealand’s dual role as a former colony and colonial administrator during these independence movements and political changes.

New Zealand Government apologies

  • 2002 formal apology to Chinese New Zealanders and their descendants for poll tax and other forms of discrimination imposed by statute.
  • 2002 apology to the nation of Samoa for actions taken during the New Zealand mandate. In particular, allowing the entry of the influenza-carrying Talune in 1918, Black Saturday in 1929, and the colonial administration’s exiling of Samoan leaders and stripping of titles.
  • Helen Clark (Prime Minister 1999-2008) was the first elected female New Zealand Prime Minister. She focused on social development, education and healthcare, and advocated for gender equality and sustainability.
  • 2021 formal apology to Pacific communities for the 1970s Dawn Raids.

 

 

 

For example, consider:

  • how New Zealand changed and stayed the same during the 20th century, and who shaped that change
  • the consequences of World War Two on New Zealand society
  • the kinds of sources, government unemployment statistics, relief-camp diaries and newspaper reports, best reveal how ordinary New Zealanders experienced the Depression of the 1930s
  • how sources (Waitangi Tribunal submissions, oral-history interviews with protest participants, or contemporary television news coverage) offer different insights into the goals, strategies, and community impact of the Māori land-rights protests of the 1970s–80s

For example, consider:

  • the main causes of Japanese imperial expansion into Taiwan, Korea, and mainland China
  • the factors which triggered the Mau movement for Samoan independence
  • the historical significance of Black Saturday for Samoans
  • the factors which drove New Zealand’s decisions to commit troops to the Korean and Vietnam Wars
  • the causes of the wave of decolonisation in Southeast Asia and the Pacific between 1945 and 1962
  • the similarities and differences between Māori and Pacific protest movements over land rights in New Zealand and anti-colonial uprisings in Southeast Asia during the 1960s–70s
  • how convincing the interpretation is that Pacific decolonisation, including Western Samoa (now Samoa) (1962), the Cook Islands, and Niue, can be understood as a smooth and legally structured transition under New Zealand’s administration
  • which source types, such as official colonial government reports, contemporary missionary or business correspondence, or peasant petitions and petitions to local courts can most reliably reveal how ordinary people experienced colonial administration.

New Zealand History and Global History

WORLD WAR ONE AND AFTERMATH 1914–1920

The lead up to war

  • European countries and their alliances and the events of 1914 leading to war.

How mobilisation was organised

  • Mobilisation: forming a New Zealand Army structure and leadership of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF).
  • Volunteer enlistment criteria and recruitment methods (1914–16) followed by conscription. Conscientious objectors.
  • Kīngitanga and iwi-based debates over conscription and voluntary service, including resistance led by Te Puea Hērangi and contrasting advocacy by Āpirana Ngata, who promoted Māori enlistment as a path to recognition and mana motuhake.

The significance of Gallipoli for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC)

  • Strategic objectives and outcomes of the Dardanelles campaign.
  • Terrain, combat conditions, and casualty rates at Gallipoli.

How society was transformed to enable ‘Total War’

  • Wartime economic measures, including rationing, pricing boards, and war loans.
  • Women’s roles in wartime healthcare, industry, and volunteer organisations.
  • Disruption of Māori rural life through urban migration and land requisition.

The experience of war on the Western Front

  • The composition and deployment of the NZ Division on the Western Front.
  • Tactics used at the Somme, Messines, and Passchendaele.
  • Role and operations of the Māori Pioneer Battalion (1916–18).

The aftermath of World War One

  • Reasons for the end of World War One.
  • National observance of ANZAC Day from 1916, Dawn Service.
  • The Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act 1915 and its effects on veterans.
  • Impacts on Māori land retention and return to ancestral tūrangawaewae.
  • Returned soldiers’ advocacy and links to early Labour Party development.
  • The war’s role in reconfiguring New Zealand’s identity.
  • Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918 including its impact on both New Zealand and Samoa.

THE ROAD TO WAR: GERMANY 1918-1939

The Weimar Republic

  • Challenges of the Weimar Republic (1918–1923) including establishment of democracy, breakdown of the rule of law, and impact of the Treaty of Versailles including hyperinflation crisis.
  • Economic recovery the ‘Golden Years’ under Stresemann (1924–1929).
  • Impact of the Wall Street Crash and Great Depression on Germany.

Reasons for the rise of the Nazi Party (1919–1933)

  • Origins of the Nazi Party, Hitler’s early role and the Munich Putsch (1923).
  • Growth in support during the Depression. Role of propaganda, failures of Weimar Politicians, the Sturmabteilung (SA), and Hitler’s leadership.
  • Reasons for Hindenburg’s appointment of Hitler as Chancellor, January 1933.

How the Nazi dictatorship was established and consolidated

  • The Reichstag Fire and the Enabling Act.
  • Elimination of political opposition.
  • Hitler becomes Führer.
  • Role of the SS, Gestapo, and concentration camps.
  • Censorship and propaganda, control of education, youth organisations, and the arts.
  • Nazi policies towards women, youth, and the unemployed.

Controlling Germany: terror, propaganda, and culture

  • Role of the Schutzstaffel (SS), Gestapo, and concentration camps.
  • Censorship and propaganda: Goebbels and the media.

Life in Nazi Germany

  • Volksgemeinschaft ‘People’s Community’
  • Nazi policies towards women: roles, rewards, and restrictions – how this changed over time.
  • Education and indoctrination of youth.
  • Impact of rearmament and public works.

Persecution of the Jews and other minorities

  • Early persecution of Jews and other minority groups and linkages to pogroms in Europe in previous decades.
  • Nuremberg Laws (1935) and Kristallnacht (1938).
  • Holocaust (see World War Two).

Opposition and resistance to the Nazis

  • Youth opposition: Edelweiss Pirates and Swing Youth.
  • Church opposition: Martin Niemöller and the Confessing Church.
  • Army and conservative resistance: July Bomb Plot (1944).
  • Limits and risks of opposition in a totalitarian state.

Hitler’s Foreign Policy and the road to war

  • Hitler’s main aims: Reverse the Treaty of Versailles, unilateral German speaking people into one country, Lebensraum (living space).
  • Key events leading to outbreak of war: remilitarisation of the Rhineland, Anschluss, Appeasement and the Munich Agreement, Nazi Soviet Pact.

For example, consider:

  • the historical significance of Gallipoli for the ANZACs
  • the ways society transformed to enable ‘Total War’
  • the different explanations given by historians of why soldiers volunteered to fight in World War One
  • the sources we can use to understand the experience of different soldiers in World War One
  • the consequences of World War One on New Zealand.
  • Evaluating differing historians' interpretations of Gallipoli and ANZAC day, including the view that:
    • the Gallipoli landings and the ANZAC legend were the moment New Zealanders forged a unique national identity separate from Britain
    • ANZAC Day was largely a retrospective myth shaped by political and imperial agendas to bolster loyalty and social cohesion

For example, consider:

  • the causes and consequences of these events
  • how and why democracy collapsed in Germany and what the consequences were for the German people.
  • what the impact was of the Great Depression on international relations
  • how Hitler created a totalitarian state
  • how the role of women changed in Nazi society
  • consider change and continuity in these events
  • the different interpretations historians reach of these events:
    • how persuasive the case is, made by historians, who argue that Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor in 1933 was engineered by elites and back-room deals. Versus those who maintain it reflected genuine mass support for the Nazi Party amid Weimar’s party-system breakdown.
    • the use of evidence to make historical claims about these events
    • how historians assess the reliability of official Nazi transcripts of the Reichstag Fire trial versus eyewitness accounts and communist statements

CHANGE IN NEW ZEALAND 1920s-2000

  • Consequences of the Great Depression on employment, housing, and family welfare.
  • 1935 Labour Government and the development of social security and state support.
  • 1938 Social Security Act — ‘cradle to the grave’.
  • Michael Joseph Savage (Prime Minister 1935–1940) was New Zealand’s first Labour Prime Minister, known for introducing the welfare state and leading the country into World War Two.
  • Role of trade unions, early feminism, and progressive reform movements.
  • 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake and its influence on national planning and resilience.

How New Zealand moved from colony to nationhood

  • Constitutional shift from Dominion status to full sovereignty.
  • 1947 Statute of Westminster and 1986 Constitution Act.
  • Growth of a distinct national identity beyond Britain.

New Zealand post-1945

(WWII is covered in depth in Year 10)

  • ANZAC memory, commemoration, and its role in shaping national identity.
  • Changing roles for women and broader social consequences of the war.
  • Steep decline in infant mortality driven by improvements in public health, sanitation, vaccination, and maternity care.
  • Post-war diplomacy and New Zealand’s contribution to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
  • Peter Fraser (Prime Minister 1940–1949) strengthened New Zealand’s international role, helped establish the United Nations, and advanced Māori welfare and education.
  • Emergence of international responsibility and peacekeeping identity.

Protest and social change

  • Māori language revival, land rights activism (e.g. Land March, Raglan Golf Course protests, and Bastion Point occupation). Urban protest movements (e.g. Ngā Tamatoa, Haka Party Incident, and Foreshore and Seabed Hikoi).
  • Māori migration to cities and its consequences, including adaptations to sustain culture and identity.
  • Second-wave feminism, gender equality, and workplace rights. Equal Pay Act (1972), abortion law reform efforts, and the establishment of the Ministry for Women (1985).
  • Environmental campaigns, including Save Manapouri, and founding of the Values Party. The Values Party (1972) was considered the world’s first national-level environmentalist party.
  • Migration from Polynesia to New Zealand in the 1950s–1970s, settlement in urban areas, changing social conditions, and increased immigration enforcement during the 1970s economic downturn, including the Dawn Raids and Operation Pot Black.
  • Treaty settlements, including the formation of the Waitangi Tribunal.
  • Anti-apartheid protest and national division during the 1981 Springbok Tour. The 1981 Springbok Tour sparked nationwide protests against South Africa’s apartheid regime. It exposed deep divisions in New Zealand society and marked a turning point in the country’s stance on human rights and race relations.
  • In 1985, French agents bombed Greenpeace’s ship in Auckland Harbour, killing a crew member. The attack outraged New Zealanders and strengthened the country’s Nuclear Free stance and independent foreign policy.
  • Intermarriage and exchange across ethnic, social, and religious boundaries within modern New Zealand society.
  • Legal and some social acceptance of same-sex relationships in New Zealand: decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1986, civil unions in 2005, the legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2013, and recognition of gender diversity.

Economic change and global trade

  • Expansion of refrigerated exports (which had begun in the 1880s) and their role in shaping pastoral farming and infrastructure.
  • Economic dependence on Britain and the consequences of EEC entry in 1973.
  • ‘Think big’ projects were implemented in the late 1970s and early 1980s to reduce dependence on imported oil and stimulate economic growth through state-led investment.
  • Robert Muldoon (Prime Minister 1975–1984) is known for his bold economic interventions such as ‘Think Big’ projects.
  • Diversification of trade toward Asia and the Pacific from the late 20th century.
  • Shift toward trade liberalisation and global market integration post 1984.
  • David Lange (Prime Minister 1984–1989) declared New Zealand nuclear free and led major economic reforms (Rogernomics).

WORLD WAR TWO AND NEW ZEALAND’S ROLE 1939–1945

Outbreak of war

  • German invasion of Poland (1939).
  • Declaration of war on Germany by New Zealand in solidarity with Britain on 3 September 1939.
  • Make up of Allied and Axis Alliances.

New Zealand participation in World War Two

  • Introduction of conscription in June 1940 for men aged 20–40 alongside volunteer enlistment.
  • Māori, including the distinguished 28th (Māori) Battalion. Motivational factors for Māori service; ‘price of citizenship’, adventure, and economic opportunity.
  • Charles Upham is a symbol of courage and humility. He was the only combat soldier to receive the Victoria Cross twice, for extraordinary bravery in World War Two.
  • Nancy Wake (1912–2011) was the Allies’ most decorated servicewoman of World War Two and the Gestapo’s most wanted person. Code named ‘the white mouse’ because of her ability to elude capture.
  • Āpirana Ngata (1874–1950) was a visionary Māori leader and politician who promoted land reform, Māori education, and cultural preservation. He wrote ‘the Price of Citizenship’ in 1943. Featured on the New Zealand $50 note.

New Zealanders at war overseas: Europe, North Africa, and Italy

  • Deployment of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF) across three echelons — Britain (1940), Greece and Crete (1941), North Africa and Italy (1940–45) — including 28th Māori Battalion’s campaigns in Greece, Crete, North Africa, and Italy.
  • Contributions of the RNZAF in European skies and the RNZN at sea, plus medical and support services.

Turning points of World War Two

  • Blitzkrieg tactics and early Axis victories (Poland, France, the Low Countries).
  • Key turning points: Battle of Britain, Operation Barbarossa, El Alamein, Pearl Harbor, Stalingrad, D-Day.

The Pacific War and Allied forces on New Zealand soil

  • Declaration of war on Japan following Pearl Harbour (December 1941) and defensive preparations in the South Pacific.
  • Coastal defence measures against Japanese submarines and raiders near New Zealand shores.
  • Arrival and billeting of up to 45,000 US troops in New Zealand between 1942 and 1944.
  • Realignment of New Zealand foreign policy towards defence and the southern parts of the Pacific region.

Life on the home front

  • Implementation of rationing for food, clothing, fuel, and rubber, alongside public campaigns promoting frugality and resourcefulness (e.g. victory gardens and scrap-metal drives).
  • Formation of the Women’s Land Army, WRNZAF, WAAC, WRNZNS, and WAAF roles for women in military and factory work.
  • Creation of the Māori War Effort Organisation (1942–1945).
  • Reorientation of industry to munitions, uniforms, naval repairs, and shipbuilding.
  • Community solidarity through fundraising concerts, Red Cross fairs, school drills, and war bond campaigns.

The Holocaust

  • Origins of Nazi antisemitism.
  • Escalation: Kristallnacht (1938), ghettos, emigration, and mass shootings in Eastern Europe.
  • The ‘Final Solution’: Extermination camps (e.g. Auschwitz, Treblinka).
  • Victims, resistance, and liberation; legacy and remembrance.

End of World War Two

  • Allied victory: collapse of Nazi Germany (1945) and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
  • Consequences of World War Two for New Zealand, including resettlement of refugees.

 

 

 

For example, consider:

  • how New Zealand changed and stayed the same during the 20th century, and who shaped that change
  • the consequences of World War Two on New Zealand society
  • the kinds of sources, government unemployment statistics, relief-camp diaries and newspaper reports, best reveal how ordinary New Zealanders experienced the Depression of the 1930s
  • how sources (Waitangi Tribunal submissions, oral-history interviews with protest participants, or contemporary television news coverage) offer different insights into the goals, strategies, and community impact of the Māori land-rights protests of the 1970s–80s

For example, consider:

  • why New Zealand joined the war in 1939
  • the consequences of World War Two on New Zealand
  • the factors which explain why the war ended
  • how evidence from a range of sources provides reasons for why Māori joined the war e.g. a soldier’s diary entry, a battalion group photo, or an interview with a veteran’s grandchild
  • the importance of women’s contribution to the home front
  • the importance of each key turning point to the course of the war
  • why the Battle of Britain, Operation Barbarossa, Pearl Harbor, Stalingrad, and D-Day were turning points in World War Two.

Civics and Society

Knowledge

The facts, concepts, principles, and theories to teach.

Practices

The skills, strategies, and applications to teach.

During Year 9

During Year 10

During Year 9

During Year 10

GOVERNMENT IN NEW ZEALAND

 

Government formation

  • Government formation through majority support in the House of Representatives.
  • Parties negotiate to form a government after elections (coalition and confidence and supply agreements).
  • Roles of Prime Minister, Cabinet, and official opposition in day-to-day governance. Drawn from elected members of Parliament.
  • Government as the central body making decisions on core government responsibilities, such as schools, hospitals, roads, and public safety, and deciding public spending.
  • Official Opposition role in scrutinising government decisions.
  • General elections held every three years to choose members of Parliament.
  • Importance of a peaceful transfer of power as a sign of democratic stability.

Parliamentary law-making process

  • Step-by-step journey of a bill:
    • introduction of the bill by Government Ministers or Members of Parliament
    • first reading to present the bill and outline its purpose
    • select committee review to examine the bill and gather public submissions
    • second reading to debate the bill’s principles and proposed changes
    • committee of the whole House stage for detailed examination and amendment
    • third reading to confirm the final version of the bill
    • Royal assent by the Governor-General to make the bill law.
  • How citizens and groups can influence law-making (e.g. making submissions to select committees, public campaigns).

Local government and community participation

  • Structure and responsibilities of city, district, and regional councils. In city and district councils, a mayor leads decision-making.
  • Local government decisions affect daily life (e.g. parks, libraries, water, transport).
  • People can participate in local government in different ways (e.g. standing in or voting in local elections, attending meetings, consultations).

Kīngitanga Movement | The Māori monarch

  • The Kīngitanga is a unifying political and cultural institution established in 1858 to unite Māori tribes under a single sovereign and protect Māori land, sovereignty, and identity against European colonisation. The Kīngitanga promotes kotahitanga and mana motuhake for Māori people and remains a significant political force in New Zealand today.

POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES, PARTIES, AND HUMAN RIGHTS

 

Political ideologies and origins

  • Political ideologies are sets of ideas about how society should be organised.
  • Enlightenment thinkers and their influence:
    • John Locke: natural rights (life, liberty, property)
    • Rousseau: social contract and popular sovereignty
    • Montesquieu: separation of powers
    • Origins of left-wing and right-wing terms from seating in the National Assembly after the French Revolution.

Political parties and ideologies

  • Political ideologies can shape party policies (e.g. conservatism, liberalism, socialism, communism, and fascism).
  • New Zealand’s main parties and the different ideological perspectives they draw upon.

Human rights and democratic values

  • Human rights as protections of dignity, freedom, and equality. Protected through, for example:
    • the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990
    • the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
    • the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
  • The Waitangi Tribunal as a forum for resolving Treaty breaches.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi | The Treaty of Waitangi and constitutional significance (see also overlapping history content)

  • Three key articles (in English and the separate te reo Māori texts):
    • Crown governance over New Zealand
    • Māori rights to land, resources, and taonga
    • equal rights and protections for Māori and non-Māori in New Zealand.
  • Differences between texts have led to ongoing contentious debate over interpretation; differing key words and phrases and their meanings (e.g. sovereignty, kāwanatanga, and tino rangatiratanga) and how they relate to the assurances the missionaries at Waitangi offered Māori about who would have authority and what they would have authority over.
  • Treaty increasingly recognised as a founding constitutional document:
    • Waitangi Tribunal investigates breaches and recommends settlements
    • Treaty settlements, including compensation, land return, and formal apologies, represent efforts to address historical injustices, but continue to generate debate and dissatisfaction among some Māori and other New Zealanders regarding their adequacy, process, and long-term consequences
    • principles drawn from the Treaty have influenced government and policy.

 

  • Comparing political structures of New Zealand’s government with a different type of government
  • Using a case study to investigate a law that has been recently passed and trace its process to become law
  • Communicating (e.g. writing an essay) about the structure of New Zealand’s government, focusing on:
    • how a government is formed and maintained through majority support in the House of Representatives
    • the role of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and how they are drawn from elected MPs
    • the role of the official opposition in holding the government to account
  • Identifying examples of council-provided services in their local community and the council’s role in maintaining these services
  • Evaluating significant prime ministers through their key actions
  • Identifying political ideologies that have been encountered across the curriculum
  • Using sources to compare policy positions of different political parties on a current issue to identify values, perspectives, and ideologies
  • Analysing sources to investigate a human rights agreement or law and the context in which it was created
  • Using case studies to explain the role, function, and strengths and limitations of organisations, including the Human Rights Commission and the Waitangi Tribunal
  • Explaining the constitutional significance of te Tiriti o Waitangi | the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles of partnership, protection, and participation

Geography

Knowledge

The facts, concepts, principles, and theories to teach.

Practices

The skills, strategies, and applications to teach.

During Year 9

During Year 10

During Year 9

During Year 10

IMPACT OF MIGRATION

 

Reasons for migration

  • Lee’s Model of Migration shows that migration is driven by push and pull factors.
  • Push factors include conflict, disasters, and lack of opportunities.
  • Pull factors include better living standards, work, and safety.
  • Migration is more likely when the barriers are smaller.

Types of migration

  • Migration can be voluntary (seeking improved living standards) or forced (caused by conflict, disasters, or environmental change). 
  • Asylum seekers and refugees are people who are forced to migrate from their home countries because it is unsafe to stay. Refugees are recognised under international law as needing protection, while asylum seekers are still waiting for their claim to be assessed.

Impacts on places and people

  • The characteristics of places are shaped by migration (e.g. cultural diversity, services, businesses, languages, signage).
  • Migration has impacts on source regions (e.g. loss of skilled workers, remittances sent home) and destination regions (e.g. labour supply, cultural enrichment, pressure on housing/services).
  • Most displaced people remain internally displaced or move to neighbouring countries.
  • Decisions needed on how to support displaced people.
  • Climate change influences current migration patterns and is expected to influence future migration patterns.

Case study: Migration and settlement in New Zealand

  • New Zealand has a long history of migration, including Māori settlement, European colonisation, and Pacific and Asian migration.
  • Location of Māori and later settlements.
  • Chronology of migration waves.
  • Cultural influences seen in settlement design, language, and community life.
  • New Zealand has laws and responsibilities to support and protect refugees and asylum seekers.

NATURE OF PLACE

 

Understanding space and place

  • Space as an open, undifferentiated area.
  • A place is what a space becomes when people interact with it and give it meaning. This meaning can come from:
    • personal experiences (e.g. where you grew up)
    • cultural or historical significance (e.g. a marae, a war memorial)
    • social connections (e.g. a local café where people gather).

Cultural meaning and place names

  • Place names reflect cultural views and power dynamics.
  • Place names in New Zealand show the story of historical and geographical change over time.
  • Renaming places can restore Indigenous knowledge and honour Māori heritage.

Shaping the nature of place

  • Places are shaped by people and physical geography.
  • People have different emotional and cultural connections to places within communities. This is reflected through human features and cultural expressions, such as:
    • sacred sites
    • festivals
    • architecture
    • street art
    • signage
    • green spaces.
  • Places are experienced differently by different individuals and groups depending on:
    • inclusion (e.g. community spaces, affordability)
    • exclusion (e.g. policies and practices, gentrification).

Changing place identity

  • Globalisation and migration alter place identity.
  • Global forces make places more homogeneous.
  • Community involvement helps create successful and meaningful places.

Case study of a local place

  • Location of the place.
  • Historical background.
  • Factors shaping its identity over time.
  • Role of community in shaping its future.
  • Applying and evaluating Lee’s Model of Migration in examples of migration, recognising push, pull, and intervening obstacles
  • Interpreting maps and flow diagrams to show migration patterns at different scales
  • Analysing quantitative data (e.g. population pyramids, census data, migration statistics) to identify population trends
  • Interpreting qualitative data (e.g. testimonies, cultural artefacts, photographs) to understand the lived experience of migration
  • Evaluating impacts of migration on people and places using evidence
  • Communicating findings in case studies using maps, graphs, and extended written responses that make reasoned arguments
  • Using quantitative and qualitative data to identify factors involved in place-making
  • Interpreting photographs, testimonies, and historical documents to describe how a place has changed over time
  • Interpreting data on how places are changing
  • Applying theories of place-making to a specific place to reach conclusions about how it has changed and is likely to change in the future
  • Explaining how factors affect a sense of place

COASTS

 

Coastal processes

  • Erosion by waves through attrition, abrasion, hydraulic action, and corrosion.
  • Transportation of material along the coast by longshore drift.
  • Deposition occurs when wave energy is too low to carry material.

Landforms from erosion and deposition

  • Erosional landforms include headlands, bays, caves, arches, stacks, stumps, and wave-cut platforms.
  • Depositional landforms include beaches, spits, and sand dunes.

Coastal threats and management

  • Coastal risks include cliff collapse and coastal flooding.
  • Hard engineering methods such as sea walls and groynes.
  • Soft engineering methods such as beach nourishment and dune regeneration.
  • Managed retreat allows natural coastal processes to continue.
  • Decisions influenced by economic, social, and environmental factors.

Case study of coastal management

  • Location of the coastal area.
  • Reasons for creating the management plan.
  • Strategies used to manage erosion or flooding.
  • Consequences of the plan for people and the environment.
  • Evaluation of the plan’s likely success.

DISEASE

 

Types of disease

  • Communicable diseases spread between people and are more common in low- and middle-income countries.
  • Non-communicable diseases are not spread between people and are a greater risk in high-income countries.

Factors affecting disease spread

  • Physical factors include climate, water supply, and natural disasters.
  • Human factors include poverty, urbanisation, conflict, healthcare access, and lifestyle choices.

Healthcare and inequality

  • Unequal access to healthcare at global, national, and local levels.
  • Differences in healthcare availability and quality across regions.

Managing disease

  • Disease control strategies include vaccination, sanitation, education, and international aid.
  • Future risks influenced by climate change and globalisation

Case study of disease spread and management

  • Global locations affected by malaria and COVID-19.
  • Patterns of disease distribution.
  • Factors contributing to disease spread.
  • Management strategies used to control the disease.
  • Evaluation of how effective the response was.
  • Explaining distinctive landforms created at the coast
  • Identifying landforms on maps and aerial photographs
  • Interpreting data on rates of erosion and deposition
  • Interpreting and evaluating coastal management plans
  • Analysing data to evaluate the impact of coastal management plans
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of a coastal management plan
  • Collecting, presenting, and analysing primary or secondary data in order to reach a conclusion about a geographical study question
  • Interpreting maps showing disease hotspots and correlation to human and physical factors shown on other maps, graphs, and quantitative data
  • Explaining factors that affect the spread of diseases
  • Considering the role geographers can play in planning for future pandemics
  • Using qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate the success of attempts to manage the spread of diseases in different ways

URBAN CHALLENGES

 

Urbanisation and population shift

  • Historically, most people lived in rural areas.
  • In the 21st century, most of the global population lives in urban areas.
  • Urbanisation driven by rural–urban migration and higher birth rates in cities.

Challenges of rapid urban growth

  • Economic, social, and environmental problems caused by fast urban expansion.
  • Growth of informal settlements lacking legal rights and basic services.
  • Improvement of informal settlements through top-down and bottom-up approaches.

Urban change and sustainability

  • Cities changing through gentrification and regeneration.
  • Sustainable urban development aims to reduce resource use and waste output.

Case study: Informal settlement improvement

  • Location of the developing nation.
  • Key challenges faced by the settlement.
  • Management strategies used to improve conditions.
  • Evaluation of the effectiveness of different approaches.

Case study: Sustainable urban initiative in New Zealand

  • Location of the initiative.
  • Challenges addressed by the project.
  • Evaluation of how successful the initiative has been.

FUTURE PLANNING

 

Managing future scenarios

  • Actions by governments, institutions, and individuals to prepare for future challenges.
  • Planning for environmental, economic, and social changes.

Climate change impacts

  • Rising sea levels threatening coastal areas.
  • Spread of tropical diseases.
  • Reduced food production.
  • Increase in climate refugees.
  • More frequent and stronger tropical storms.

Resource pressures and global change

  • Finite fossil fuel reserves leading to rising import costs.
  • Globalisation and youthful populations in low- and middle-income countries changing trade and employment patterns.

Geographical challenges and opportunities

  • Physical and human geography influence how future problems are faced.
  • Geography shapes both risks and solutions.
  • data on growth rates of cities around the world
  • the challenges created by urban growth
  • maps, diagrams, and graphs to identify the problems of growing cities in contrasting parts of the world
  • likely scenarios if cities continue to grow
  • the use of flow diagrams to show the ecological footprint of cities
  • the application of geographical data on specific schemes to improve urban areas in order to evaluate the success of different approaches
  • maps showing predictions of global heating
  • data on tropical storms to predict future changes with reference to New Zealand
  • collecting, analysing, recording, and interpreting primary data relating to a local initiative designed to prepare for the future
  • evaluating the likely success of this initiative

Economic Activity

Knowledge

The facts, concepts, principles, and theories to teach

Practices

The skills, strategies, and applications to teach

During Year 9

During Year 10

During Year 9

During Year 10

Economics and Enterprise

UNDERSTANDING THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

 

Levels of economic development

  • Countries classified as low-income, lower middle-income, upper middle-income, or high-income.
  • Development measured using indicators like: GDP per capita, life expectancy, infant mortality rate, literacy rate, and expected years of schooling.

Stages of economic development:

  • Economies often shift from:
    • trade (can support countries to develop, but tariffs can make it harder for low-income countries to move from the primary to secondary sector)
    • primary industry (e.g. farming, mining) to secondary industry (e.g. manufacturing)
    • then to tertiary industry (e.g. services) focused on knowledge and information.
  • Development challenges that may arise:
    • physical geography (e.g. landlocked location, climate)
    • human geography (e.g. population size, infrastructure)
    • historical factors (e.g. colonisation, conflict).

New Zealand in the global economy

  • Main areas of export (e.g. tourism, milk, butter, frozen bovine meat, sheep and goat meat, rough wood).
  • Top export destinations, including China, United States, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.
  • Main imports and their origins (e.g. refined petroleum, cars, gas turbines, broadcasting equipment, delivery trucks). Imports originate from China, Australia, United States, South Korea, and Japan.

Trade policies and development: protectionism and subsidies

  • Protectionist measures reduce imports to support domestic industries.
  • Subsidies help local producers compete with foreign goods.
  • Government policies can limit development opportunities for low- and middle-income countries.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 

Geography and economic production

  • Goods are produced based on human geography (e.g. labour, infrastructure) or physical geography (e.g. climate, natural resources).
  • Countries can increase wealth by exporting more valuable goods than they import.
  • Exporting goods can lead to environmental challenges such as increased carbon emissions.

Deindustrialisation and development challenges

  • High-income countries are importing more manufactured goods, leading to deindustrialisation.
  • Deindustrialisation can create challenges for communities. It can also indicate a shift toward service-based and technology-driven industries, which can create new opportunities.

Aid, trade, and global inequality

  • Aid can be short-term (emergency) or long-term (developmental).
  • Trade supports development, but tariffs and trade barriers can create challenges for countries to build strong industries.
  • Global inequalities in wealth, health, and education remain a major challenge.
  • Analysing how indicators are used to classify countries and measure economic development
  • Creating a report using:
    • maps of New Zealand’s interdependent relationship with key trade partners to show trade networks internationally
    • statistics and graphs to describe New Zealand’s exports and imports
    • economic and business information from sources (e.g. written articles, data summaries) to evaluate New Zealand’s imports, exports, and role in international trade networks
  • Examining how development is measured by:
    • interpreting tables and graphs displaying development indicators
    • creating maps and graphs displaying development data
  • Investigating patterns of development by:
    • classifying employment according to their economic sector
    • explaining how economies have developed at different rates and how this could change in the future
    • using case studies to evaluate the impacts of international aid in developing economies

Financial Education

Making financial decisions

  • People make spending decisions based on their needs and wants and on a variety of influences (e.g. friends, peers, advertising).
  • Factors such as rate of repayment and interest rate affect the manageability of debt.
  • Scams are deceptive schemes designed to steal people’s money or personal information (e.g. stealing information from bank accounts, credit cards, and other identification; investment scams; phishing; romance and remote access scams).
  • People can protect themselves from scams by not sharing personal information (e.g. bank details, passwords), examining if communication and other content is legitimate, and taking remedial action (e.g. contacting your bank and telling trusted adults or authorities) in cases of suspicious activity.

Purpose of financial planning

  • Builds resilience and supports financial growth (e.g. through saving, investing, and building assets).
  • Helps meet financial responsibilities like bill payments and loan repayments.
  • Supports long-term goals such as education, travel, family support, and car purchase.
  • People purchase insurance to protect against specific (financial) risks such as car accidents, house fires, and personal injury.

Employment and taxation

  • There are different types of employment contracts (e.g. casual, full-time, fixed-term, permanent), with clauses that are important to understand before signing (e.g. wages, hours, parental leave, flexible working).
  • Tax is collected from income (e.g. PAYE) and other expenditures (e.g. GST, property tax).
  • Superannuation is paid alongside income to people aged 65 years and older in New Zealand.
  • KiwiSaver is a voluntary savings scheme to help New Zealand residents prepare for retirement. Different contribution fund types (conservative, balance, growth, aggressive) each offer varying risk and return. Decisions on the right fund depends on personal needs, future goals, and risk tolerance.
  • Starting KiwiSaver contributions early increases returns through compound interest.

Personal budgeting

  • Loans and investments have interest rates, such as simple and compound interest. These are important to consider when making financial decisions. Credit cards often have large interest payments.
  • Different sources of financial advice, saving and investment options, and financial management tools and techniques inform financial decisions.
  • Various scams try to take people’s money by pretending to provide financial and investment advice.

For example, consider:

  • Examining how different people make different spending decisions based on their needs, wants, and various influences
  • Identifying specific scams, what they are trying to achieve, and how people can protect themselves
  • Identifying and documenting possible short- and long-term personal financial goals
  • Creating and monitoring a budget and simple financial plan
  • Gathering financial information about different financial scenarios (e.g. phone plans, savings plans, ‘buy now, pay later’ services, loans, insurance) and using information to make and justify financial choices, considering value for money
  • Calculating total payments (initial and interest) on different amounts with different amounts of interest (e.g. 20-year mortgage at 5% interest, 1-year credit card repayment at 15% interest)

For example, consider:

  • Interpreting an employment contract by identifying different types of contracts (e.g. casual, full-time, fixed term, and permanent) and understanding key clauses (e.g. wages, working hours, parental leave, flexible working arrangements) before signing
  • Evaluating the benefits of KiwiSaver contributions over different time periods and fund types, including calculating compound interest
  • Calculating and comparing the total amount paid for goods with no loan, a low-interest loan, and a credit card charging high interest
  • Using financial information (e.g. pay slips, bank statements, loan applications) to evaluate financial decision-making

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