Ake Ake – forever and ever
In this activity, students learn about the Ake Ake model and how it was used with iwi on the Waikato River in the Huntly area. Students then explore changes in their local environment from a Māori perspective.
By the end of this activity, students should be able to:
describe the Ake Ake model and why it is used
relate some of the early iwi stories about either their local or the Huntly environment
explain cultural indicators
describe some of the aspirations and hopes iwi have for their environment.
The Ake Ake model
The Ake Ake model is a pictorial mapping of someone’s perspective. Researcher Lorraine Dixon uses the model to encourage iwi to share their views including values and possible issues around maintaining those values. They are also encouraged to represent what they would like the future to look like.
Download the Word file (see link below) for:
introduction/background notes
what you need
what to do.
Activity ideas
Wai words introduces students to Māori classification of water and science content vocabulary associated with wai, water monitoring and water quality.
Consider using Exploring my local lake prior to using the Ake Ake model. It’s helpful in making ākonga aware of roto in their local area.
This resource uses manu as the context for using the Ake Ake model. Ka whakamahi tēnei rauemi i te manu hei horopaki mō te whakamahinga o te tauira Ake Ake.