Mangere College Magazine 2017
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Geography<br />
This year, the NCEA Level<br />
1 Geography programme<br />
has been developed to<br />
align with the internal<br />
assessments and increase<br />
the students’ knowledge<br />
of their local environment,<br />
which included visiting<br />
Polyfest <strong>2017</strong> and Te<br />
Pane O Mataoho-<strong>Mangere</strong><br />
Mountain. For most of the<br />
students, it was their first<br />
time visiting Ihumatao.<br />
On Thursday 15th June <strong>2017</strong>, the<br />
NCEA Level 1 Geography class of<br />
27 students went on a field trip<br />
to Ihumatao, one of the oldest<br />
remaining and original Maori<br />
papakainga (village) in NZ. We<br />
received a warm welcome from<br />
Ihumatao Saving Our Unique<br />
Landscape ( SOUL) founder Pania<br />
Newton and Roger Fowler. Pania<br />
is a resident of Ihumatao and<br />
tangata whenua. Pania was our<br />
personal tour guide of Ihumatao,<br />
a beautiful area of land on<br />
Ohurangi Rd. Ihumatao has been<br />
designated as one of the three<br />
Special Housing Areas (SHA) in the<br />
<strong>Mangere</strong>-Otahuhu area. Fletcher<br />
48 <strong>Mangere</strong> <strong>College</strong> - <strong>2017</strong><br />
Residential Ltd are proposing the<br />
development of 500 homes on this<br />
piece of farmland. The location of<br />
the proposed SHA is adjacent to<br />
the Otuataua Stonefields Historical<br />
Reserve, a public green space<br />
where the students were given a<br />
geological tour by both Pania and<br />
Roger.<br />
The SOUL campaign against the<br />
Ihumatao SHA has been our<br />
selected Contemporary Issue for<br />
the students to explore. This was<br />
a unique internal assessment that<br />
was developed for the students<br />
in collaboration with another<br />
Geography teacher, Mrs G. Hanna;<br />
(HoD of Avondale <strong>College</strong>). The<br />
assessment encouraged students<br />
to demonstrate and provide a<br />
recommended course of action<br />
with supported evidence. Many<br />
of the students had not heard of<br />
Ihumatao, however, everyone came<br />
away with a determination to share<br />
the issues affecting Ihumatao<br />
and their peers and families. The<br />
students were able to develop their<br />
own perspectives about this local<br />
issue.<br />
Thank you very much to the<br />
<strong>Mangere</strong> <strong>College</strong> staff who<br />
supported our field trip including,<br />
Mrs Rosalie Kwan, Piri Tamahana<br />
and the University of Auckland<br />
student teacher Gabriel Woelk. The<br />
students were also able to provide<br />
recommendations and feedback<br />
from their findings to the SOUL<br />
group.<br />
Nga mihi,<br />
Ms A.Tatafu<br />
(1GEO teacher)<br />
'...Ihumatao,<br />
one of<br />
the eldest<br />
remaining<br />
and original<br />
Maori<br />
papakainga<br />
(village) in NZ.'
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