People tell stories that reflect the ideas of their whānau, hapū, iwi, cultures, identities, and communities in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the wider world. In this way, historical narratives may be understood as constructions by individuals and groups. When exploring these constructions, ākonga are able to examine how and why these stories reflect the ideas, contexts, and prejudices of their constructors. The construction of historical narratives in the present are limited by the sources that are handed down to us from the past. In this way, historical narratives are always partial but also dynamic as new sources of evidence, and new constructions challenge existing narratives.

These characteristics of history can be demonstrated through pūrākau and pakiwaitara, which are integral to mātauranga Māori. These historical narratives, often delivered orally and collectively, offer self-aware and sometimes metaphorical constructions of the past.

Tāngata whenua have strong traditions of pūrākau, pakiwaitara, and ngā taonga tuku iho. Likewise, Pacific peoples have strong traditions of oration, storytelling, and record-keeping. Such traditions contribute to community identities and are important sources of historical evidence.

Historical narratives are constructed for different purposes and audiences, and across different media. They are not simply a record of what happened in the past. Historical narratives can be inclusive, exclusive, general, or specific. Historical narratives can and do develop and change over time.

Understanding that history is constructed gives ākonga permission to partake in the construction and deconstruction of historical narratives themselves. Ākonga will learn to recognise the contexts, ideas, sources, privileges, and prejudices that influence the construction of historical narratives they encounter. They will come to value the complexity and diversity of history and reach conclusions that are grounded in evidence.

Contestability is at the heart of History and debate enhances our understanding of the past and the present. Individuals and groups will agree and disagree on interpretations of, and perspectives on, historical narratives as well as the evidence that supports these interpretations. Interpretations, such as those of historical significance, may also change over time. Becoming confident in applying concepts such as whakapapa, tuakiri, and collective maumaharatanga, students will learn how historical significance can be determined.

Students of History will develop skills to engage critically with historical narratives and sources from a variety of perspectives, origins, ideologies, and worldviews. They will evaluate and acknowledge the strengths and limitations of both the supporting evidence and the various narratives about the past derived from it, while also accepting that finding a single truth or consensus is unlikely. They will recognise that narratives vary between and within groups of people, such as the differences in point of view of iwi and hapū within an Aotearoa New Zealand context. By recognising that historical narratives vary, our ākonga will come to appreciate diverse voices and perspectives, which help build a richer sense of identity and belonging. History students celebrate differences because they understand we do not need to agree to respect one another.

Ākonga who can understand how and why historical narratives are contested will be able to participate more actively in society as informed citizens. The ability to think critically about information and its origins, purposes, and limitations is increasingly important to recognise and combat misinformation and disinformation.

History recognises and examines the ways in which power is exercised, resisted, and experienced across whole populations and between groups. It recognises that these relationships are dynamic. History explores the ways in which power has been experienced and exercised intersectionally — across the lines of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, and more.

The concept of mana helps with understanding of historical events. Mana can be enhanced or diminished by the actions of individuals and groups. One aspect of mana is the exercise of power and authority. Power can be exercised militarily, constitutionally, socially, culturally, personally, and politically. Colonisation is an example of power relationships shaping history. Power can be used to sustain or challenge inequalities, debate conflicting ideas, promote or suppress change, and exercise control over others. Changes in control over resources have influenced the rise and fall of different communities, and have been the subject of extensive political, military, and social conflict.

Power can take many forms and have many consequences. To be both a historian and a global citizen, an understanding of power is crucial — how it permeates throughout history and society, how it can be gained, lost, exercised, and challenged, not to mention how it can bring about both justice and injustice. Being able to make the connections between the exercise of power and its various impacts, as well as the diverse experiences and responses of the people impacted, is a skill that ākonga can carry forward throughout their lives. This gives them a powerful lens from which to view both past and present societies and cultures.

Whenua, fonua, and place are central to understanding historical narratives and building a deeper understanding of tūrangawaewae, whakapapa, and whanaungatanga.

Tūrangawaewae helps shape the stories of people and shows the significance of place. Wāhi tapu helps us to explore the significance of place to people over time, and places that hold mana.

While responses to places can change over time, historical narratives always take place somewhere and every place has (hi)stories to tell.

Through the Pacific value of fonua, place helps anchor a sense of identity, and that connection can create a sense of belonging for people across time. Te ao Māori concepts of tūrangawaewae and kaitiakitanga help us understand the significance of place in historical narratives as well the role of tāngata whenua, a group of people who, through their habitation of and long-standing relationship with a particular place, have authority over and responsibility for it.

Resource-rich places confer benefits on occupants but may also become the subject of contests for control over the resources associated with the area. This is where power relationships can shape the historical narratives around place, highlighting how these Big Ideas, and the core concepts of History, intersect with each other. The significance of a place can be shaped by identity, the exercise of power, the perceptions of people, and the implications of the events connected to it.

Place is central to history because it affects the ability of people to record and pass on their historical narratives. Places can be remembered differently and people have changed, and have been changed by, their environments over time.

Titiro whakamuri kia anga whakamua.

To face the future, look to the past.

This whakataukī highlights how one cannot move forward without understanding the history of their people. History is inextricably linked to the identities of people in the past, as well as people in the present through whakapapa, whanaungatanga, and tūrangawaewae. How we bring the knowledge and lessons from the past, as well as our present-day perceptions, into the future, influences how those identities will be shaped as they continue to transform and adapt to an ever-changing world. Understanding this interwovenness of the past, present, and future is crucial to building, shaping, developing, and changing identities.

Vā is an important concept to explore and understand when building an understanding of identities, connections, and relationships in history over time. Vā can be applied as a powerful method of teaching and learning about place and identity within History. It is a concept found across the Pacific Islands which can be widely understood as ‘relational space’, where both personal and collective wellbeing is facilitated through sharing, giving, creating, and navigating space. It is a concept that can provide insight into how our own identities influence our perspectives and the way we interpret the significance of events, peoples, movements, and places.

For many people, relationships with others — who lived in the past, live today, or will live in the future — are central to understanding their historical narratives. Tāngata whenua carry their tūpuna with them, meaning that history is not linear, but relational and interwoven. History’s non-linear movement shapes our identities — those we cannot choose and those we actively choose — when seeking relationships and community. In this way, exploring identity is not only valuable for the personal development of ākonga, but also their development of an understanding of the choices and decisions made by individuals and groups in the past. For students of History, learning the historical narratives about how their communities developed and responded to events helps build their identities to enable them to move into their future pathways.