NZ History Investigation Toolkit
Te Pūtake Rangahau Hītori o Aotearoa
📖 About This Toolkit
New Zealand's history is rich, complex, and often told from different perspectives. As critical thinkers, we need tools to investigate historical sources, understand multiple viewpoints, and form our own informed conclusions.
"Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua"
"I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past"
— This whakataukī reminds us that understanding where we come from helps us move forward wisely.
🗂️ Tool 1: Understanding Source Types
Historical evidence comes in many forms. Each type has strengths and limitations:
📜 Primary Sources
Created at the time of the event
- Letters, diaries, journals
- Photographs, maps
- Treaty documents
- Oral histories (pūrākau)
- Newspapers from the time
- Whakapapa records
✓ Direct evidence from the time
✗ May be biased; limited perspective
📚 Secondary Sources
Created later, analysing past events
- History books, textbooks
- Documentaries
- Museum displays
- Academic articles
- Te Ara encyclopedia entries
- Historical websites
✓ Analysis and context provided
✗ Shaped by author's interpretation
🎭 Māori Sources
Traditional and contemporary Māori knowledge
- Whakapapa (genealogy)
- Pūrākau (traditional narratives)
- Waiata (songs)
- Kōrero tuku iho (oral traditions)
- Tā moko designs
- Place names (ingoa wāhi)
✓ Indigenous perspective; deep history
✗ Some knowledge is tapu/restricted
🔎 Tool 2: The WITNESS Framework
Use these questions to analyse any historical source:
What do we know about the author? What was their background, position, or role?
To record? To persuade? To justify? For official purposes? For personal memory?
At the time of events? Soon after? Much later? How might timing affect accuracy?
Official document? Personal letter? Newspaper? Photo? Each type has different reliability.
What facts or claims does it make? What evidence supports these claims?
Whose viewpoint is this? What perspectives might be missing or silenced?
What can we learn from it? What are its limitations? How does it connect to other sources?
👥 Tool 3: Exploring Multiple Perspectives
NZ history events are often viewed very differently by different groups. For any event, consider:
🌿 Māori Perspective
How did tangata whenua experience this? What was the impact on iwi, hapū, whānau?
🏛️ Crown/Government Perspective
What was the official position? What were their stated reasons?
👥 Settler/Pākehā Perspective
How did European settlers view this? What were their interests?
🌏 Other Groups
Pacific peoples? Chinese gold miners? Women? Children? Workers?
Questions to ask:
- Whose voices are loudest in the historical record? Why?
- Whose voices are quiet or missing? Why might that be?
- How do different perspectives help us understand the full picture?
📝 Tool 4: Investigation Worksheet
Topic I'm investigating:
Key question I want to answer:
Timeline Context
What came before this event?
What happened?
What were the consequences?
Sources Used
Source 1:
Source 2:
Source 3:
My Conclusion
Based on my investigation, I conclude that:
🔗 Recommended NZ History Resources
These are reliable sources for investigating NZ history:
🏛️ NZHistory.govt.nz — Ministry for Culture & Heritage 📖 Te Ara — Encyclopedia of New Zealand 📰 Papers Past — Historical newspapers & documents ⚖️ Waitangi Tribunal — Reports on Treaty claims 🏛️ Te Papa — Museum of New Zealand 🎖️ Online Cenotaph — NZ military history👩🏫 Teacher Notes
Curriculum Alignment: NZC Level 4 Social Studies; Aotearoa New Zealand's Histories curriculum
Key Topics to Explore:
- Te Tiriti o Waitangi / Treaty of Waitangi
- New Zealand Wars / Ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa
- Land confiscation and its effects
- Women's suffrage movement
- Immigration history
- Māori Renaissance
Cultural Considerations: Be sensitive when discussing events that continue to affect communities today. Involve local iwi where possible.