Taniwha by Monique and Pātaka Moore is an informative non-fiction text that introduces students to taniwha and their important place within te ao Māori. The text explains that taniwha can take many forms and often live in lakes, rivers, and the sea, where they act as kaitiaki, protecting people and places.

Through clear explanations and well-known stories, the text explores how taniwha guide waka, protect the environment, and provide signs when something is wrong. It helps students understand that taniwha are deeply connected to Māori beliefs, values, and relationships with the natural world. The text encourages respect for waterways and introduces the idea that caring for the environment is a shared responsibility.

The text is ideal for integrated learning across literacy and social sciences, supporting students to build cultural knowledge, develop understanding of guardianship, and explore how stories communicate values and beliefs in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This pack contains wide range of response activities including:

• A guided reading plan exploring key literacy elements including inference and deduction, language use, making connection and text organisation, along with key questioning to promote emotional intelligence, metacognition and compassionate inquiry. 
• An independent learning contract complete with explainer videos for activity clarity
  
• A wide range of response activities to support developing and embedding key literacy skills including sentence and word work, spelling, and cloze activities. 

Curriculum Phase: Phase 2
Year Level: Year 4

English (NZC Levels 2–3): reading for meaning, identifying key ideas, building vocabulary, understanding informational texts, linking ideas across paragraphs, responding to Māori perspectives

Social Sciences – Aotearoa New Zealand Histories: Māori beliefs and storytelling, kaitiakitanga, relationships between people and the environment, cultural identity, respect for place

Text type: Non-fiction, cultural explanation, informational article

Key words include: taniwha, kaitiaki, kaitiakitanga, te ao Māori, Māori stories, guardianship, rivers, lakes, oceans, environment, protection, beliefs, values, cultural identity, Māori perspectives, Aotearoa New Zealand, waka, signs, respect for nature, caring for waterways, storytelling, traditions