Whakapapa and Tūrangawaewae
Whakapapa and Tūrangawaewae was one of the foundational local learning themes in Kōtuitui Sport. It explored how ancestry, place, belonging and personal stories shape identity in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The theme sat at the beginning of the wider learning experiences because it gave students a cultural starting point. Before looking outward to global teams, migration or major events, the learning journey began with the question of where people stand and where they belong.
In Kōtuitui Sport, whakapapa and tūrangawaewae were connected with personal identity, whānau, iwi, community, school, club, sport and place. The theme showed that people, teams, lands and communities all carry stories of origin, connection and responsibility.
Belonging as a starting point
Whakapapa and tūrangawaewae gave Kōtuitui Sport a strong local and cultural foundation. Whakapapa was connected with origin, ancestry and relationship. Tūrangawaewae was connected with a place to stand, a place of belonging and a place where identity is grounded.
The theme invited students to think about their own stories of belonging. These stories could include whānau, iwi, culture, rohe, country, school, club, sport, interests, skills and important places.
This made the topic closely connected to Community Connections, where local places, clubs, schools, kura and community histories were explored more widely.
Stories of people and place
One of the central ideas in this theme was that identity is shaped through stories. A person may carry stories from family, land, culture, school, sport and community. A football club or team can also carry stories about where it came from, who shaped it and what values it represents.
Kōtuitui Sport used this idea to connect personal identity with collective identity. Belonging was not treated as only an individual feeling. It was also something formed through relationships, shared histories and the places where people gather.
In this way, the theme helped students see how a local football field, a school, a club or a whānau story could become part of a wider cultural picture.
Mihi, tikanga and shared understanding
The theme also included the development or extension of mihi. Students were encouraged to think about how they might introduce themselves through the people, places and relationships that shaped them.
This connected with broader ideas such as kawa, tikanga and ritenga. These concepts helped frame how people act, gather, show respect and take part in shared cultural life.
The theme also linked to whanaungatanga and kaitiakitanga. Whanaungatanga helped explain relationships and shared experiences, while kaitiakitanga brought attention to care, guardianship and responsibility for places and communities.
These ideas later connected with Rights and Responsibilities, where rules, roles, fairness and responsibility were explored through both sport and society.
Football as a way to express identity
Kōtuitui Sport connected whakapapa and tūrangawaewae with football in practical and symbolic ways. A football was not only an object used in a game. Its shape, panels and shared use could become a creative way to express identity and belonging.
Students were encouraged to think about the different parts of their identity and how those parts could be represented visually. A football, a panel, a display or a shared activity could carry words, images and ideas about who they were and where they belonged.
This approach connected with Football, Futsal, Culture and Identity, where football and futsal were explored as cultural systems with their own histories, values and communities.
Tūrangawaewae and the local environment
Tūrangawaewae also opened a way to think about land and environment. A place of belonging could include ancestral land, a home, a river, a coastline, a school, a sports ground or another place where a person felt connected and able to stand.
The theme encouraged students to describe the features of these places and think about their condition. A place could be thriving or under pressure. It could carry stories of people, events, change, care and responsibility.
This gave the theme an environmental dimension. Belonging to a place also meant asking how that place was looked after and what actions could support its future.
Local identity and football heroes
Whakapapa and tūrangawaewae also helped frame the way students could look at footballers, teams and clubs. A player’s story was not only about performance. It could also include whānau, place, culture, school, club and community.
This made the theme a natural foundation for Celebrating Our Heroes, where local and national football figures were explored through personal journeys, whakapapa, whanaungatanga and community connection.
By beginning with belonging, Kōtuitui Sport gave students a way to understand sporting achievement as part of a wider human story.
Why this theme mattered
Whakapapa and Tūrangawaewae mattered because it gave Kōtuitui Sport its cultural grounding. It asked students to begin with identity, place and relationship before moving into wider questions about sport, migration, global cultures and the World Cup.
The theme showed that learning about others begins with understanding where people themselves stand. It also showed that culture is carried through stories, places, relationships, practices and responsibilities.
Through this theme, Kōtuitui Sport connected the personal with the collective. It made belonging visible and gave students a way to understand how local stories could sit beside the wider international story of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.