Through a Māori Lens: The Photographs of Te Rawhitiroa Bosch by Te Kura o te Marama Dewes is a rich, visually driven non-fiction text that explores photography as storytelling, identity, and cultural expression. Focusing on the work of acclaimed Māori photographer Te Rawhitiroa Bosch (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu), the text examines how viewing the world through a Māori lens shapes what is photographed, how moments are captured, and which stories are told.

Through images, interviews, and reflection, students learn about kaupapa Māori, the importance of te reo Māori, whakapapa, and representation in media. The text highlights how photography can uplift communities, challenge stereotypes, and preserve cultural narratives. It invites learners to consider perspective, purpose, and voice, while making connections between creativity, identity, and social responsibility.

 

This pack contains a range of response activities complete with activity explainer videos for exploring thinking skills and developing emotional understandings and compassionate inquiry including:

• Blooms Higher Order Thinking activities
• Book Club guide for deepening text discussion
• A range of activities to explore emotional understanding, compassionate inquiry, empathy development, vocabulary and developing skills for self and co-regulation.

Curriculum Phase: Phase 3

Year Level: Year 7

Curriculum Coverage:

English – Reading: author’s purpose, visual literacy, integrating visual and written texts, key ideas, making connections

Social Sciences – Aotearoa New Zealand Histories: identity, culture, representation, contemporary Māori experiences

Health and Physical Education: wellbeing, identity, belonging, relationships

Text Type: Non-fiction / visual report / profile

Key words: Aotearoa New Zealand contexts, belonging, community, contemporary Māori, creativity, culture, cultural knowledge, family, identity, kaupapa, kaupapa Māori, mana, Māori voices, media representation, narrative through images, non-fiction text, perspective, photographic essay, photography, point of view, rangatahi, relationships, representation, role models, self-taught artist, social media, storytelling, storytelling through images, Te Ataarangi, te ao Māori, Te Kura o te Marama Dewes, Te Rawhitiroa Bosch, te reo Māori, The Photographs of Te Rawhitiroa Bosch, Through a Māori Lens, tikanga, visual literacy, visual text, whanaungatanga, whakapapa, whānau.