NCEA Level 1 Pūtaiao key terms

The broad body of knowledge, practice, and understanding about the natural world, understood in this qualification as including both mātauranga Māori and Western science approaches to investigating and explaining phenomena.

A body of knowledge, values, and practices developed by Māori over generations, including observation of the environment, oral transmission, and place-based understanding of ecosystems, materials, and natural processes.

A framing used in this Pūtaiao learning area that brings together two knowledge baskets, mātauranga Māori and science, so that each informs and is respected within an investigation.

An acronym-style framing used in this Pūtaiao context to organise inquiry: identifying a topic or issue, taking action through investigation, and presenting or applying findings with evidence.

A framework of relationships and descent lines connecting people, species, landforms, and natural phenomena; in science contexts it is used to trace connections and cause-and-effect sequences rather than only human ancestry.

The life force or vital essence understood to be present in people, living things, water, land, and materials; it underpins respect-based practices such as avoiding waste and treating samples with care.

The responsibility and practice of guardianship over the environment and its resources, including monitoring, protecting, and restoring places and species for present and future generations.

A temporary restriction placed on an area or resource, such as harvesting or entering a site, to allow recovery or to manage risk; it functions as a management tool supported by community agreement.

A food garden or cultivation area where crops are grown, often used in investigations of soil, water, light, and plant growth within local contexts.

Water, including fresh water, rain, and coastal water; a common focus for investigations of quality, flow, temperature, and the health of waterways and the species that depend on them.

Land, ground, or soil, and also placenta; in science inquiry it refers to the physical ground and its properties, including soil composition, structure, and the living communities it supports.

Forest or bush, understood as an ecosystem of trees, undergrowth, birds, insects, fungi, and soil organisms interacting with light, water, and nutrients.

The environment, including the living and non-living parts of a place and the interactions between them; investigations often consider how human activity changes the taiao over time.

A holistic view of wellbeing with physical, mental and emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions; used to discuss how environmental conditions affect people and communities.

Using resources and carrying out activities in ways that meet present needs without reducing the ability of later generations or other species to meet theirs.

Information gathered using the senses or instruments, recorded as what is actually noticed rather than what is assumed; observations form the raw material for questions and explanations.

A reasoned explanation drawn from observations and prior knowledge; unlike an observation, an inference goes beyond what was directly sensed and must be supported by evidence.

Data, observations, or findings that support or challenge a claim; strong evidence is relevant, accurately recorded, and sufficient to justify the conclusion drawn.

Any factor in an investigation that can change or be changed, such as temperature, light, or soil type; variables are classified as independent, dependent, or controlled.

An investigation design in which only the independent variable is changed, the dependent variable is measured, and all other relevant variables are kept constant so results can be compared.

The consistency of results when a measurement or investigation is repeated; reliability is improved by repeating trials, taking multiple samples, and reducing sources of random error.

The extent to which an investigation measures or tests what it claims to, and whether the conclusion follows from the data collected rather than from other uncontrolled influences.

A community of living organisms interacting with one another and with the non-living parts of their environment, such as water, soil, air, and sunlight, within a defined area.

The variety of living things in a place, including the range of species, the genetic differences within species, and the variety of habitats and ecosystems present.

The particular place or set of conditions where an organism lives, providing the food, water, shelter, and space it needs to survive and reproduce.

A feature or behaviour of an organism that improves its chance of surviving and reproducing in its environment; adaptations may be structural, behavioural, or physiological.

The process by which individuals with inherited traits better suited to their environment tend to survive and reproduce more, so those traits become more common in later generations.

A diagram showing the feeding relationships in a community, with arrows indicating the direction energy flows from one organism to another across several interconnected food chains.

The movement of energy through an ecosystem, beginning with sunlight captured by producers and passing to consumers, with energy lost as heat at each transfer step.

An organism, such as a plant or alga, that makes its own food using light energy through photosynthesis and forms the base of the food web in most ecosystems.

An organism whose presence, absence, or condition gives information about environmental conditions, such as water quality or habitat health, because it is sensitive to change.

A description of the physical, chemical, and biological condition of water, assessed through measures such as clarity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and the organisms present.

A vertical section through soil showing its layers or horizons, each differing in colour, texture, organic content, and depth, reflecting how the soil formed over time.

The movement of elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus between living organisms and the non-living environment, including decomposition and uptake by plants.

The continuous movement of carbon between the atmosphere, living organisms, soil, oceans, and fossil stores through processes including photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and combustion.

The effects that human activities such as land clearing, pollution, harvesting, and urban development have on ecosystems, water, soil, and the species living there.

Recorded measurements or observations, often organised in tables or graphs, that can be analysed to identify patterns, compare treatments, and support conclusions.

A statement that answers the investigation question by interpreting the data and linking it back to the aim, stating whether the evidence supports the hypothesis and acknowledging limitations.