Te Ara o Tawhaki: Maori Thought, Beliefs and Practices

This course provides an introduction to Maori knowledges and metaphysics through a study of topics such as voyaging, art and aesthetics, warfare, conflict and peace. We also look at how approaches to Maori knowledges and their impacts are critiqued.

15 points

PACS102

Creative Writing: Skills, Techniques and Practice

This course provides a grounding in the skills, techniques and tricks a writer needs to transform ideas and material into art. Guided exercises will develop students’ creative practice of observation, play and experiment; the study of selected poetry, short prose and dramatic texts will introduce diverse forms and approaches. Students will also develop a feedback and revision practice at the weekly workshops; closely and sensitively engage with both published and peer texts.

15 points

WRIT118

New Zealand History from Waka to Weta

From the arrival of the first peoples, to the successful creativity of Weta Workshops, this course introduces the essentials of New Zealand history according to the very latest scholarship. Located at the fault lines of the past, the course mixes wars, strikes, disease, guilt and apology with utopic visions and world-leading creativity and innovation. Major themes are Maori and Pakeha conflict and collaboration, the development and tensions of a ‘new world’ colonial nation, and New Zealand’s changing place on the world stage. Through a series of innovative assignments, you will learn how to research and write history at the university level.

15 points

HIST108, HIST109, HIST124

Screenwriting: research and story development

Through the format of the short film, students will be exposed to various types of film, including narrative, documentary, and experimental films. They will then develop their own short film ideas, including initial concept or story idea, research, character exploration, dialogue, scene structure and plot development. Written work includes character profiles, plot outlines, a treatment and initial draft - or the equivalent documents relevant to a documentary or experimental film. An important feature of the course is feedback, whereby student’s critique and support each other’s projects. Finally, students will learn the essential elements of the screenplay format and deliver a completed short film screenplay.

15 points

15 points from DISC101 or DISC102; OR 15 points of WRIT; OR ENGL118 or ENGL233; OR 15 points of CINE.

Kiriata: Maori film and Media

This course examines the intersection of Maori identity in film, media and other creative works. It considers the political, historical, social, cultural and ideological influences that have shaped dominant mainstream constructions and counter-hegemonic representations of Maori and indigenous peoples in film, media and creative works. It also highlights the roles of artist, director and industry to produce Maori stories and aesthetics. A number of films will be screened throughout the course.

15 points

Any 15 points at 100 level from CINE, MAOR, or TREO, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

CINE213

Kapa Haka - Introducing Maori Performing Arts

Designed for Maori and non-Maori, performance competent and new learners, language and non-language students this course takes the class on a journey of exploration to a high level of performance. Course content includes study of the mythological and traditional origins and customs of performing arts from moteatea (traditional song), poi (ball dance), waiata a-ringa (action song), haka and the art of warfare and mau rakau (weaponry - ti rakau, titi torea, hapai rakau, taiaha, patu). The course also covers the role of male and female leaders, biographies of important composers and the renaissance of kapa haka and its place in Maori culture and society. Students learn a full performance bracket which includes a distinctive Ngai Tahu component as well as a selection of historical and sacred classic tribal anthems.

15 points

Any 15 points at 100 level from MAOR or TREO, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

TREO282, MAOR265, MAOR382, TREO382, MUSA252

Modern Histories of Ngai Tahu

The story of Ngai Tahu is a fascinating example of a small impoverished community of tribal members who by the 1970s had been reduced to a membership of less than 400. Within two decades this tribe had emerged as one of the largest corporations in the South Island with a tribal membership of over 40,000. It is the largest land-owner in the South Island with significant interests in fisheries and tourism. Explaining how and why this happened will be one of the core themes of this course. The first part of this course will look at some of the early history of Ngai Tahu through to their movement from its pre-contact era to initial contact with early explorers, the settler government and the subsequent land transactions that ran from 1844 to 1864. The second part of this course will trace Ngai Tahu’s claim over nearly 150 years and the concurrent development and implementation of corporate structures. It will then turn to an overview of how Ngai Tahu and the Crown negotiated one of the largest Treaty settlement packages in the nation's history, but also what opportunities and challenges that brings today.

15 points

Any 15 points at 100 level from HIST, MAOR, or TREO, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.

HIST292

Indigenous Stories, Digital Realms

This course considers the representation of Indigenous narratives within the digital world. By closely analysing a series of case studies from various media including gaming and VR (virtual realities), as well as trends in film, television, and other media, we discuss thematic and stylistic trends in Indigenous texts as well as production methods and ethics utilised in their creation and development.

15 points

TITO201 or TITO202

MAOR330

Pacific Cultures and Digital Innovation

This course explores the nexus between Pacific Indigenous cultural innovation and digital transformation and how they relate to contemporary socio-economic and environmental challenges. The use of cultural innovation is examined together with mainstream technology including the growing digitalization of Pacific life through financial transfer, communication, art, performance, and family connections across the Pacific, and globally. It looks at how the two engage with each other, and how the new digital transformation has impacted on Pacific communities in profound ways. The course is designed to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of the digital age, the ways that Pacific peoples are engaging with this complex and rapidly changing phenomenon, and how they are preparing for an intensely digital future. It is also designed to encourage students to use the power of their creativity to develop and lead practical digital projects. The course is trans-disciplinary and encourages creative innovation. It may integrate new elements at short notice to reflect the dynamic nature of both Pacific cultures and digital technology, and their constant state of flux.

30 points

Any 30 points at 200 level from PACS, or any 60 points at 200 level.