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

Within this Achievement Standard, ākonga will be encouraged to clarify and refine product or spatial design ideas through exploring possibilities and making design decisions that consider people in terms of potential purposes and benefits. In this context, the word people encompasses the multitude of cultures, identities, communities, and heritages that the design idea may be developed for.

Ākonga can recognise that design, as an act of manaakitanga, is intent on seeking new ways of improving the lives of people. They can bring their own designer voice that connects their personal experiences with the considerations of those they design for in relation to the products or spatial designs they develop.

It encourages reflection on how designers acknowledge and honour diverse whakapapa and ways of being that they encounter within their work. Ākonga will focus on developing their ideas by recognising the role that design plays in enhancing the lives and experiences of people as potential users and their connection to a place.

They will need to construct a visual narrative that conveys their design thinking and decision-making, utilising their visual literacy skills.

Making reliable judgements

To achieve this Achievement Standard, ākonga will produce more than one design idea, showing the main features of the product or spatial design outcome. They will show how they have incorporated both functional and aesthetic considerations that relate to the needs of people and, where appropriate, their connection to a place.

Ākonga will have progressed their design ideas to show how design decisions are linked to functional and aesthetic features. Higher levels of achievement require integration of functional and aesthetics features to show what people will experience.

As part of the consideration of people, ākonga will show how people and their connection to a place has influenced the progression, refinement, and improvement of their design ideas. For a spatial design this could be showing consideration of the land on which the design will sit. This may include stories of the land, or environmental considerations such as sun path. For a product design it could be showing considerations of the context in which it will be used.

Extended spatial or product designs will be demonstrated by integrating functional and aesthetic features. Design ideas will also be improved by selecting an appropriate combination of visual communication techniques to show what people will experience.

An appropriate combination will show the selection of the techniques to visually communicate how people would experience the design ideas.

Collecting evidence

Ākonga will curate and submit a portfolio of evidence of 10-15 A3 pages (or equivalent) showcasing their design work.

Evidence in the portfolio can take a range of visual forms, digital or physical, and may include drawings, annotations, models, and animations.

Visuals may be produced using CAD or manual drawing methods. Where CAD is used the design details presented must be ākonga-generated. Software libraries or pre-built blocks (for example footing details for building plans) do not constitute ākonga evidence and should not be presented as such.

Possible contexts

As part of this development process, the ability to give and receive constructive critique supports the opportunities for making improvements and reflecting on new possibilities. Ākonga are encouraged to practise convergent thinking and creative problem solving that brings together different concepts (such as ergonomics for product design and site considerations for spatial design) and principles. By using visual communication techniques that are appropriate for developing design ideas, they are able to convey convergent thinking and design decision-making. They will also be encouraged to consider the whakapapa and fonua of people, as well as how design ideas can respond to human interface or experiences.

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.