Māori history is marked by a great deal of conflict, and by resistance, active and passive, to colonial action. It is likely that conflict and resistance will have affected the local community at times, and the local community will have had connections to conflicts at national and global levels.

For students, local landmarks and natural resources are a foundation for looking at a history of guardianship, ownership, confiscation, conflict, and settlement. A start for students would be to look at which conflicts have been memorialised in your area and how they have been memorialised. Students can also discover any conflicts that have not been publicly recorded.

Look at land issues in the local area that were directly influenced by the Treaty of Waitangi. Conflict, confusion, protest, and settlement are the journey of many iwi with their mana whenua.

Some of the most documented moments in history are those to do with resistance and conflict. It is, then, an ideal way to examine perception, bias, and the presentation of historical “facts”. Be conscious that voices represent points of view, so is important to question them. Whose point of view is missing?