Examine an historical event or place that is of significance to New Zealanders
Domain 2 (AS 91230) asks you to examine an event or place of significance to New Zealanders: describe it accurately, explain its context and causes, and make a reasoned judgement about why it matters.
Significance is argued, not asserted
Use criteria: importance to people at the time; depth and duration of consequences; symbolic meaning; how widely it is remembered; and whether interpretations are contested. Support each claim with evidence.
Worked example: Parihaka
Parihaka is a settlement in Taranaki founded in 1866 by Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu Kākahi as a community of Māori pacifist resistance to land confiscation. Its ploughing campaigns from 1878 challenged surveys and Crown land-taking. On 5 November 1881 about 1,600 Armed Constabulary under John Bryce invaded; houses and crops were destroyed, and Te Whiti and Tohu were imprisoned without trial. Significance: Parihaka became a national symbol of non-violent resistance; it exposed the Crown's use of force and indefinite detention; it is central to Taranaki Māori grievance and Waitangi Tribunal processes; and the Crown's 2017 apology acknowledged wrongdoing. For settlers at the time, it was often framed as sedition, showing that significance is contested.
Traps
- Retelling the story without evaluating significance.
- Treating significance as a fixed fact rather than a judgement.
- Ignoring Māori sources and perspectives.
- Mixing dates or confusing Parihaka with later passive resistance campaigns.
- Claiming 'everyone' remembers it without evidence.