Social Studies

What are the social sciences about?

Unuhia te rito o te harakeke kei whea te kōmako e kō?

Whakatairangitia – rere ki uta, rere ki tai;

Ui mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o te ao,

Māku e kī atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata!

The social sciences learning area is about how societies work and how people can participate as critical, active, informed, and responsible citizens. Contexts are drawn from the past, present, and future and from places within and beyond New Zealand.

Aotearoa New Zealand histories and Te Takanga o te Wā

From 2022, Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories will be taught in all schools and kura.

It is part of the social sciences learning area because it encourages learners to be critical citizens – learning about the past to understand the present and prepare for the future.

There are three elements to the curriculum content: UNDERSTAND, KNOW, and DO. It is structured this way to help teachers design learning experiences that weave these elements together so that student learning is deep and meaningful.