Social Sciences · Inquiry B · Years 7–8
Mana Motuhake: Power, Decisions and People
A decision in your community — a new facility, a rule change, or a historical turning point — affected different groups in different ways. You will map power, perspectives, and consequences.
Your mission
Why it matters
Social scientists analyse how decisions are made, who benefits, and how accounts of the past shape the present.
- You'll make
- A structured argument about power and change, with evidence from multiple perspectives, for council or community organisation.
- Who it's for
- Local council, board of trustees, or community organisation
- How long
- About 5 weeks, in any term
- Who takes part
- The whole Years 7–8 class, together
Your first step
Name the decision or change you are studying. List three groups affected and one source that represents each group's view.
Your journey: TRACE
- Time & Place
- Relationships
- Accounts
- Causes & Consequences
- Evaluate
Every stage has Getting started, On track and Stretch support, so the whole class can work on it together.
Explore more
Trusted New Zealand sites for your research.
- DigitalNZ ↗
National Library of New Zealand
Millions of NZ photos, newspapers and records to use as sources.
- Te Papa Collections Online ↗
Te Papa
Objects and images from the national museum.
- Services to Schools ↗
National Library of New Zealand
Help finding and using sources for inquiry.
For teachers: how to run it
Use a power-mapping mini-lesson early. Moderate discussion when perspectives conflict. Require explicit source citation in final work.
Run it with a combined Years 7–8 class in any term. Students record each stage in Kōkiri Learn; you see progress by stage, never rankings or scores.
Ready to run it with your class?
Free trial for NZ schools. One combined Years 7–8 class, any term.