Learning Objectives (Whāinga Ako)
"Kua tawhiti kē to haere mai ai" - You have come too far to turn back now
Students will understand:
- How economic systems affect daily life
- The difference between wealth and income
- Who benefits from current economic structures
- How economic inequality is created and maintained
Students will be able to:
- Analyse economic data critically
- Map their own economic reality
- Question dominant economic narratives
- Connect personal experiences to larger systems
Lesson Structure
Do Now Activity (10 minutes)
Economic Reality Check
⚠️ Do not survey ākonga about their whānau's income, spending or financial decisions. A worksheet asking a teenager what their family earns, or what money decisions their family has had to make lately, asks a child to hand over the household's hardship — often the exact hardship this unit is about. This opener is written so nobody has to. It is private, it is not collected, and it is not read out.
Students write privately for five minutes. Ākonga answer from what they notice around them — in their town, at work, in the news — not from their own household accounts:
- What has got noticeably more expensive in the last year or two? How do you know?
- What does someone your age in Aotearoa have to spend money on that they cannot avoid?
- Who around you seems to have real choice about the work they do, and who does not? What is the difference between them?
- How do you think the current economic system affects your future plans?
Purpose: Activate prior knowledge and connect lived observation to economic systems — without asking anyone to disclose their whānau's circumstances.
👩🏫 Teaching Instructions
Distribute the Economic Justice Documentary Companion before pressing play.
- Before viewing: Preview companion vocabulary together and invite predictions about why inequality persists.
- During viewing: Pause at 6:30, 15:00, 24:00, and 31:00 to capture the focus questions in the companion. Facilitate quick pair-share check-ins.
- After viewing: Collect the quick-write, then move learners into the handout’s literacy and numeracy tasks as guided activities.
- Formative checkpoint: Use vocabulary definitions, personal budget reflections, and systems maps as evidence for Mātainuku and Mātairea progress.
📺 Video Introduction: Understanding Economic Inequality (12 mins)
Before Watching: Based on your "Do Now" responses, consider:
- Why do some people have so much while others struggle?
- Is the economic system fair? Why or why not?
- How does where you're born affect your opportunities?
Pātai - Questions While Watching:
- What statistics or facts surprise you most?
- Who benefits from economic inequality?
- How does inequality affect health, education, and wellbeing?
- What connections do you see to Aotearoa New Zealand?
After Watching - Quick Write (3 mins):
Write 3-5 sentences answering: "What is one thing you learned that changed how you think about economic systems?"
Collect these responses as evidence of immediate conceptual shifts; invite a few volunteers to share.
Activity 1: Economic Systems Mapping (15 minutes)
Instructions:
- In pairs, students create a mind map showing how the economy affects their daily lives
- Include: housing, food, transport, education, entertainment, future plans
- Use different colours to show: things they can control vs. things they cannot
- Add arrows showing cause and effect relationships
Key Questions:
- What economic forces shape your daily choices?
- Which economic decisions feel out of your control?
- How do economic factors affect your stress levels?
- What would change if you had more/less money?
Activity 2: Data Detective - Housing Crisis Analysis (20 minutes)
Resource Integration:
Use the numeracy section of the Economic Justice Companion alongside the Housing Affordability Crisis handout.
Investigation Process:
- Students read housing crisis data and statistics
- Identify who benefits from high housing costs
- Analyse government policy responses
- Connect to their own housing situations
Critical Analysis Questions:
- Who makes money when house prices rise?
- Why might some people want high house prices?
- How does housing affect educational opportunities?
- What solutions would help young people?
Activity 3: Economic Winners and Losers Gallery Walk (10 minutes)
Setup:
Place scenario cards around the room showing different economic situations in Aotearoa New Zealand
Scenario A:
Property investor with 5 rental properties
Scenario B:
Minimum wage worker living paycheck to paycheck
Scenario C:
Recent university graduate with student debt
Scenario D:
Small business owner during economic uncertainty
Students rotate through scenarios, discussing how current economic systems help or harm each person.
Wrap-up & Reflection (5 minutes)
Exit Ticket Questions:
- Name one way the current economic system benefits you
- Name one way it creates challenges for you
- What's one economic fact that surprised you today?
- What's one question you want to explore further?
Next Lesson Preview:
We'll dive deeper into wealth vs. income and explore how wealth is really accumulated and distributed in our society.
Assessment & Differentiation
Formative Assessment
- Do Now responses: Understanding of personal economic connections
- Video companion evidence: Vocabulary definitions, evidence charts, and systems maps (collect for Mātainuku/Mātairea progress)
- Data analysis: Critical thinking about housing crisis and personal budget reflection
- Gallery walk discussions: Empathy and systems thinking (capture key statements on chart paper)
- Exit tickets: Synthesis and next-step questioning
Differentiation Strategies
- Visual learners: Mind mapping, infographics, and colour-coded systems diagrams
- Kinesthetic learners: Gallery walk stations and embodied role cards
- Advanced students: Independent research into Doughnut Economics or Budget 2024 inequality data
- Struggling readers: Partner support, sentence starters, and partially completed handout tables
- ELL students: Dual-language vocabulary lists, icon-supported instructions, and peer buddies
Resources & Homework
Required Resources:
- Economic Justice Documentary Companion (one per student)
- Chart paper and markers for mind mapping
- Housing Affordability Crisis handout (linked above)
- Economic scenario cards (teacher preparation)
- Exit ticket slips
Homework/Extension:
- Interview a family member about an economic decision they've made
- Find one news article about economic inequality in NZ
- Read: Financial Literacy handout (preparation for next lesson)
- Optional: Research one economic policy affecting young people
- Invite whānau to support the handout’s “trash diary” reflection and share findings next lesson
Kaiako Planning Snapshot
Social Studies / Economics — Economic Justice — Years 9–10
Curriculum alignment: Te Mātaiaho | Social Studies — Economic world; rights, roles, and responsibilities (Years 9–10). Achievement Objective: Students examine how economic decisions affect individuals, communities, and nations.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga — Learning Intentions
- Analyse how economic systems create and maintain inequality for Māori and marginalised communities
- Evaluate historical and contemporary examples of economic justice movements in Aotearoa
- Propose equity-centred solutions grounded in tikanga and rights-based frameworks
Paearu Angitu — Success Criteria
- I can identify an example of structural economic inequality and explain its causes
- I can describe how a community or movement has challenged economic injustice
- I can use evidence to support an argument about economic fairness