Mātauranga Māori constitutes concepts and principles that are richly detailed, complex, and fundamental to Māoridom. It is important to remember that the practice of these are wider and more varied than their use within the proposed NCEA Achievement Standards and supporting documentation.

We also recognise that the cultures, languages, and identities of the Pacific Islands are diverse, varied, and unique. Therefore the Pacific concepts, contexts, and principles that have been incorporated within NCEA Achievement Standards may have wide-ranging understandings and applications across and within the diversity of Pacific communities. It is not our intention to define what these concepts mean but rather offer some ways that they could be understood and applied within different subjects that kaiako and students alike can explore.

The intent of the Standard

Ākonga will take part in their own informed, authentic, and reasoned social action as a clear and appropriate response to a social issue. Ākonga will consider how their chosen social action has supported or challenged a system in relation to a social issue.

A system is made up of various interconnected structures and components that are organised to achieve a specific purpose. Social organisation systems have their own sets of rules and restrictions, and norms and values that suggest how the parts of the system should function and interact. Social organisation systems can exist in social, political, economic, or organisational contexts. They can be shaped and changed by people and groups, and can impact upon the rights, role, and responsibilities of people and groups inequitably. Examples of systems include a health system, a media and informational system, or a school system.

In a teaching and learning programme, ākonga will consider how social organisation systems impact the decisions or activities of individuals and groups. Ākonga will then examine how their social action supports or challenges a system in relation to a social issue.

This Achievement Standard relates to the Significant Learning in which ākonga participate in thoughtful social action in response to social issues or opportunities. It also relates to the Significant Learning in which ākonga recognise that society’s range of social organisation systems (such as social, political, cultural, spiritual) impact upon the rights, roles, and responsibilities of people and groups.

Additional Significant Learning can be clustered as part of the practice of Social Studies inquiry and linked to a social issue.

For example, the following Significant Learning could be clustered to explore a social issue:

• explore how power is exerted to influence multiple aspects of society and the impact on groups and communities
• explore different views about human rights and how they are valued and applied
• consider how societies, communities, and individuals navigate diversity and inclusion in society
• investigate the ways groups and communities are responding to challenges and opportunities related to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Making reliable judgements

Frameworks or models should be provided to ākonga so they can follow a process to plan, organise, and carry out a social action. The framework or model must be appropriate to the issue and action. This learning should be included in a teaching and learning programme.

Ākonga will describe their social action and the system that has been supported or challenged by it. In doing so, ākonga will demonstrate awareness of the aim of the social action in relation to the issue. Ākonga will also include relevant evidence in the description. This must include annotated visual evidence of participation in a social action. Visual evidence can come from photographs, screenshots, videos, and/or audio recordings that have been collected throughout the social action. Kaiako should provide a teaching and learning programme where ākonga can learn to collect, annotate, and store evidence.

Ākonga understanding of social action deepens through explaining the impacts of their social action in supporting or challenging the system. Impacts are the direct effects on individuals, groups, or places. These could be short or long term, positive or negative. Ākonga will use evidence to support their explanation.

At higher levels, ākonga will evaluate the suitability of their social action in supporting or challenging the system. Ākonga will evaluate the extent to which the planning, organising, and carrying out of the action was appropriate, fitting, or well-matched in the aim of supporting or challenging the system. Ākonga may consider alternative social actions that could have been more suitable in supporting or challenging the system. They will also use evidence to develop the explanation.

Collecting evidence

There are different stages of social action that ākonga will participate in such as planning, organising, and carrying out the social action. Although ākonga may be working in groups to carry out their social action, ākonga need to collect, annotate, and store evidence throughout its stages to demonstrate their individual participation. Ākonga will store evidence in a digital portfolio and use this to support individual reflection. Kaiako must provide guidance to support ākonga evidence collecting, which may include setting milestones and teaching digital technology skills, including how to store and upload files using mobile devices.

Ākonga should be given the opportunity to curate and annotate evidence gathered over the course of their teaching and learning programme in order to make selections to demonstrate their understanding of social action.

Ākonga will describe the social action undertaken to support or challenge a system with annotated visual evidence of their personal participation in the social action.

Possible contexts

It is encouraged that a teaching and learning programme begins with a social issue that has a clear and strong link to a system that can be supported or challenged through ākonga social action. Whether the system is being supported or challenged will depend on the action that the students choose to take, after learning about the issue and social action options.

Examples of social issues related to systems that ākonga could challenge or support through social action include:

• the difficulty people have getting on and off buses due to the height difference between kerbs and buses — public transport system
• high cost of fruit and vegetables — capitalist system
• accessing reliable news — media system
• teenagers addicted to vaping — health system.

It is recommended that social action is started early in the year to provide ample time for ākonga to engage in the action and collect evidence of their participation. Ākonga can undertake a social action in different ways. For example, ākonga may identify a local issue and form small groups, with each group working on a different action to support or challenge a system in relation to the issue. As an alternative example, ākonga may identify three local issues that they would like to take action on and divide into three groups to plan and carry out the action.

Standard Exclusions

This Standard has one or more exclusions, or Standards that assess the same or similar learning. These Standards are excluded against one another to prevent assessing the same learning twice. You can only use credits gained from one of these standards towards your NCEA qualification.

Find out more about the NCEA Level 1 Exclusions List.