MASSEY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR READER · MASSEY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR READER A COLLECTION OF READINGS FOR...

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MASSEY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR READER A COLLECTION OF READINGS FOR MASSEY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. My name:____________________________________________________ How to use this reader: 1. Choose an article. 2. Read the vocabulary list carefully. 3. Read the article. 4. Answer the questions. 5. Talk to whānau about your new learning. 1

Transcript of MASSEY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR READER · MASSEY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR READER A COLLECTION OF READINGS FOR...

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MASSEY HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR READER 

A COLLECTION OF READINGS FOR MASSEY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. 

 

My name:____________________________________________________ 

How to use this reader: 

1. Choose an article. 2. Read the vocabulary list carefully.  3. Read the article. 4. Answer the questions.  5. Talk to whānau about your new learning.  

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MASSEY HIGH SCHOOL  JUNIOR READER 

TABLE OF CONTENTS: 

 

PAGE NUMBER: 

TITLE OF ARTICLE:  TOPIC: 

Pg 3-7  Famous Jewish girl struggled to enter the US just as refugees do today.  

Anne Frank; Judaism; WWII 

Pg 8-12  Dulce et Decorum Est.  WWII; Poetry 

Pg 13-18  Young messengers keep Japan’s atomic bomb memory alive.  

Japan; WWII 

Pg 19-23  Scientists study huge patch of trash in the ocean.  

Climate change; environmentalism 

Pg 24-28  Legends of the Māori in the Waitakere Ranges. 

Te Ao Māori; Waitakere.  

Pg 29-34  How did our local beaches get their names?  Waitakere; History; Beaches.  

Pg 35-40  Stephen Adams: A second chance.  Stephen Adams; Basketball. 

Pg 41-48  The History of Massey.  Massey; Waitakere.  

Pg 49 - 54  White Sunday.  Pasific Culture; Family; Samoa.  

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School subjects: History, Geography, English & Maths 

ANNE FRANK 

FAMOUS JEWISH GIRL STRUGGLED TO ENTER THE US JUST AS REFUGEES DO TODAY 

 

Taken from the Washington Post 12/01/15

Vocabulary  Meaning 

1. Jew/Jewish  Relating to the Jewish religion.  

2. Jobs  A paid position of regular employment. 

3. Professor  Someone who works for a university. 

4. Refugee  Is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. 

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5. Similar  Very close to being the same. 

6. Sneak  To creep up on, or into somewhere undetected. 

7. Spies  People employed by a government to secretly obtain information on an enemy. 

President Barack Obama promised to let 10,000 Syrians come to America. Their country is 

at war. Millions of Syrians have left. They are trying to find safety in other countries. Some 

people in the United States do not want the Syrians to come. 

About 75 years ago, there was another war. It was called World War II. There was also 

another group of refugees, the Jews. They also faced terrible danger in their home 

countries. During the war, Jews were killed and badly treated because of their religion. 

Like the Syrians today, the Jews wanted to come to the U.S. Also like today, people did not 

want to let them in. 

Otto Frank and his family were Jewish. They lived in the Netherlands. His wife was Edith 

and his daughters were named Anne and Margot. Anne wrote her thoughts and feelings 

in a diary. After the war, her father made it into a book. He called it "The Diary of Anne 

Frank." 

Papers Tell Frank Family's Story 

Richard Breitman is a history professor. In 2007, he wrote about some old papers. They 

tell how the Franks tried to come to the U.S. 

Breitman said government rules kept the family from coming to the U.S. If the rules were 

different, Anne Frank might be alive today. She would be 77 years old. 

Instead, she died when she was 15 years old. 

At the time, people thought these rules would make the country safe. They also wanted 

to keep out people from other countries. Some people worried the Jews were spies. Many 

people are against the Syrians today for similar reasons. The Islamic State is a violent 

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group. It has taken over parts of Syria and Iraq. People think their fighters could hide 

among the Syrians. They worry that they could sneak into the United States and make 

trouble. 

Refugees Tried To Enter U.S. Many Years Ago Too  

In 1939, the German army took over the Netherlands. They did not allow Jews to be 

teachers or be in government jobs. Jews could not own businesses. Their children had to 

go to special schools for Jews. 

Otto Frank tried to come to the U.S. with his family. The government did not let them. He 

lived through the war but his wife and two daughters died. 

In 1944, Anne Frank wrote in her diary that terrible things were happening."I still believe, 

in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart." 

 

On the lines 

1. How would you describe a “diary”? Write one sentence.  

   

2. Anne Frank was a Jew living in The Netherlands, this meant she believed in the Jewish religion. The article also mentions the Islamic Religion. Indicate which of the nouns below describes someone who follows the religion of Islam? 

A Muslim  An Islam  A Christian  A Hindu 

3. What is the singular noun for the word “spies”? 

 

4. The University Papers were written in 2007. Anne Frank would have been 77 years old. From this information, can you work out the year she was born?  

She died when she was just 15 years old. In what year did she pass away? 

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Between the lines 

1. There are three countries mentioned in this article; Syria, the USA and The Netherlands. Can you find these countries on the map of the world? 

 

2. If someone “sneaks” into a country, what sort of things might they do / not do? Discuss or list some ideas. 

 

 

3. A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. Can you think of any examples where this is happening in the world today?  

 

 

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Beyond the lines - Whānau Korero 

 

How easy is it for a refugee to move to NZ? 

 

https://bit.ly/2xkPsTl 

Do you have any family members who experienced WWII?  What are their memories?   

Read the Washington Post article written by Richard Breitman: https://tinyurl.com/ouux62t  What perspective do you think Richard Breitman has with regards to ‘American Immigration policies’?     Give reasons for your answer.     

Read The Diary of Anne Frank.   

 

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School subjects: History, Social Studies, Geography.   

DULCE ET DECORUM EST  

By Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) 

Vocabulary  Meaning 

1. Ardent  Having or showing very strong feelings. 

2. Cud  The food that an animal (such as a cow) brings back up from its stomach into its mouth to be chewed again. 

3. Dim  Not bright or clear. 

4. Ecstasy  A trance-like frenzy (as the men quickly put on their helmets). 

5. Fatigue  Very tired. 

6. Fumbling  To search for something by reaching or touching with your fingers in an awkward or clumsy way. 

9. Hags  An unpleasant old woman. 

10. Knock- Kneed 

Having legs that curve inward at the knees. 

11. Lame  Having an injured leg or foot that makes walking difficult. 

12. Lime  A chemical compound that can burn through the human body. 

13. Limp  To walk in a slow and awkward way because of an injury. 

14. Trudge  To walk slowly and heavily because you are tired or working very hard. 

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Dulce et Decorum Est 

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, 

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, 

Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs, 

And towards our distant rest began to trudge. 

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots, 

But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind; 

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots 

Of gas-shells dropping softly behind. 

  

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling 

Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time, 

But someone still was yelling out and stumbling 

And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.— 

Dim through the misty panes and thick green light, 

As under a green sea, I saw him drowning. 

  

In all my dreams before my helpless sight, 

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. 

  

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace 

Behind the wagon that we flung him in, 

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face, 

His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin; 

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood 

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, 

Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud 

Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,— 

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest 

To children ardent for some desperate glory, 

The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.* 

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Glossary: *Latin phrase is from the Roman poet Horace: “It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.” (Viking Press, 1921) 

On the lines 

1. What two similes (a phrase that uses the words like or as to describe someone or 

something by comparing it with someone or something else that is similar) are 

used in the opening lines of the poem? 

 

2. What does the title of the poem mean? (Hint: look at the glossary) 

 

3. Do you think the poet believes what the title is saying? Why or why not? 

 

4. What is the main theme (idea) of the poem? 

5. Where do you think the battle happened? 

6. In the third stanza (paragraph) Owen chose the word “guttering” to describe what? 

 

 

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Between the Lines 

1. Wilfred Owen was a British soldier that fought in France against the Germans 

during World War I. Locate these three countries on the map: Britain, France and 

Germany. 

2. What words or phrases does Wilfred Owen use to describe soldiers in the poem?  

 

What does this tell you about the effect war/ fighting has on the men?  

 

3. World War I started on 28th July 1914 and ended on 11th November 1918.  

How many years and months did the war last? 

 

4. Wilfred Owen wrote: “Dim through the misty panes and thick green light/ As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.” He is referring to chemical warfare known as a gas attack.  

Which words or phrases tell you that it was a gas attack? 

misty panes  thick green light  green sea  drowning 

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Beyond the lines - Whānau Korero  

 

1. Were any of your whānau involved in 

either WWI or WWII?  

 

If so how? 

2. Here are some shocking statistics 

about WWII:  

https://bit.ly/2NobKOF

3. Owen wrote the poem while 

recovering at Craiglockhart War 

Hospital. Use Google to find the 

location, and mark your answer on 

the map on the previous page. 

4. Why do you think WWI was called 

“The War to End All Wars”?  

 

Discuss this with your whānau.  

 

 

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School subjects:  English, Social Studies, Maths.  

 

YOUNG MESSENGERS KEEP JAPAN’S ATOMIC BOMB MEMORIES ALIVE. 

 

Young girls look at candle-lit paper lanterns with written messages at Nagasaki Peace Park on the eve of 

the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan. On August 9, 1945, during World War II, the 

United States dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, killing more than 40,000 people.  

Photo: Richard Atrero de Guzman/NurPhoto via Getty Images. 

Vocabulary  Meaning 

1. Abolition  The act of officially ending or stopping something. 

2. Anniversary  A date that is remembered or celebrated because a special or notable event occurred on that date in a previous year. 

3. Atomic bomb 

A bomb that produces an extremely powerful explosion when atoms are split apart. 

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4. Elementary School 

Primary School. 

5. Etched  Marked or imprinted.  

6. Gratitude  A feeling of appreciation or thanks. 

7. Ironic  Using words that mean the opposite of what you really think, especially in order to be funny. 

8. Lanterns  A light made from paper, usually with a candle inside.  

9. Shunned  To avoid. 

On the ninth day of every month, the 500 students at Shiroyama Elementary School in 

Nagasaki, Japan, gather to sing a song. This is not a normal song, however. The song, "Dear 

Children's Souls," deals with the most traumatic chapter in the school's long history. In 

1945, 1,400 students and 28 staff members died when the United States dropped an atomic 

bomb, also known as the A-bomb, on the city of Nagasaki. The bombing marked the 

beginning of the end of World War II. Seventy-three years have passed since the bombing 

of Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, and the bombing of Hiroshima three days earlier. However, 

the school feels a special responsibility to keep the memories alive. 

Strong Feelings For Peace 

Hiroaki Takemura is the principal of Shiroyama Elementary School. The school is less than 

550 yards away from where the A-bomb hit the ground, Takemura says. The atomic bomb 

is a nuclear weapon. These powerful weapons use what are called nuclear reactions as their 

source of explosive energy. They have only been used twice in war when the United States 

bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Tens of thousands were killed in the two cities. The 

school wants to play a role in making sure a similar tragedy never happens again. "The 

feelings for peace are very strong here," Takemura says. Remembering the bombing is 

becoming increasingly important as more and more of the survivors who witnessed the 

events pass away. The number of remaining survivors, known as hibakusha, has been cut in 

half over the past two decades. Their average age is now 82. As they become less mobile, 

they find it more difficult to travel and give first-hand accounts of the horrors of nuclear 

war. By speaking out, they hope to prevent nuclear weapons from being used again. 

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Junior Storytellers Share Peace Messages 

The sixth-grade students at Shiroyama, therefore, are taking on more responsibility and 

being trained as "mini-storytellers." Each year, about 400 schools from across Japan send 

thousands of students on field trips to Shiroyama to learn about the A-bomb. After passing 

the school gate etched with pictures of doves, the visiting children hear the song. Its lyrics 

describe how students and teachers' lives were ended "in a brief flash". Then the 

sixth-graders host the visitors on a tour around the school, including the old building ruins. 

The junior storytellers tell their peers what happened and share a message of peace, 

Takemura says. These sorts of activities give hope to A-bomb survivors such as Setsuo 

Uchino, age 74. 

Uchino does not believe he will see the end of nuclear weapons in his lifetime. "I'm hoping 

that during the next generation's time something will improve," he says. "That's why I feel 

that it's a responsibility and duty for me to talk about the stories and my own experience to 

the children, to the young generation," Uchino says. That way children can "understand 

how dangerous and horrific and inhumane the A-bombing was, and how scary and horrible 

nuclear arms are." 

It's Important To Talk About It 

It might be an uncomfortable topic for children. Uchino himself had to come to terms with 

the horrors of the Nagasaki bombing at a very young age, though. He does not have many 

direct memories of the day, but Uchino says his parents spoke to him for the first time 

about the family's experiences when he was in the fourth grade. His mother had seen 

burned bodies and victims crying out for water. She told him the post-bombing scene was 

like "hell on earth". Uchino urges the children who hear his story to start conversations with 

their peers. "I get so many letters of gratitude from students and young people who said 

they're determined to share the stories with their families," he says proudly. 

 

   

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Ironic Peace Declarations 

In Hiroshima, too, local authorities are working to preserve the memories. To date, 117 

adults have successfully completed three years of training to inherit the stories of A-bomb 

survivors. These volunteers learn about survivors' experiences and share their message of 

peace to students on field trips and foreign visitors. Hiroshima and Nagasaki make peace 

declarations each year on the anniversary of the bombings. The statements typically call on 

world leaders to reflect on what happened in those cities and pursue nuclear disarmament 

– that is, getting rid of the world's nuclear weapons. This, of course, is easier said than 

done. Japan is the only nation to have suffered a wartime nuclear weapon attack. That is 

why survivors are surprised that Japan has shunned a new international treaty to get rid of 

nuclear weapons. 

"Actually the leaders of this country are not serious about nuclear abolition," says 

72-year-old Kosei Mito. "This is the most annoying thing to me." His mother survived the 

Hiroshima bombing, and he was born just after. 

 

New Messengers Will Take Over 

Fumihiko Yoshida is a professor at the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition at 

Nagasaki University. On at least one front, there is a reason to be positive, Yoshida says. 

Many young people and middle-aged people are taking the survivors' stories very seriously. 

"So, yes, we will lose many real voices from hibakusha in coming years," Yoshida says. 

Article by Daniel Hurst, The Guardian, adapted by Newsela staff on 08.09.18 

On the lines 

1. Which of the words below is the same or similar to the word “traumatic” (pg 14)? 

Circle the correct word/s: 

a) Distressing  b) Safe  c) Hurtful d) Shocking 

2. What is the singular noun for the word “families”? 

 

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Between the lines 

1. The atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9th 1945. Uchino was born 

in May 1942. How many months old would he have been when the bomb was 

dropped? 

2. In 1944 the population of Nagasaki was 240, 000. The atomic bomb killed more 

than 40, 000. What percentage of the population was lost as a result of the bomb? 

 

3. How many students and staff were killed when the atomic bomb was dropped on 

Shiroyama Elementary School? 

4. Why does Uchino believe the mini-storytellers are important?  

 

5. There are two countries mentioned in this article; Japan and the USA.  

Mark these two countries on the map below: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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6. Mark on the map of Japan the location of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Beyond the lines - Whānau Korero 

 

1. What is New Zealand’s nuclear 

power/energy policy? Watch former 

NZ Prime Minister David Lange give 

his famous anti-nuclear speech: 

 

https://bit.ly/2XDJrQo 

2. How does nuclear energy work? 

Watch this video and discuss why it 

is controversial: 

 

 

https://bit.ly/1CdmAIk 

3. What was the impact of the Atomic Bombs on the Natural and Cultural 

environment of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?  

 

https://tinyurl.com/y4ykjc8h 

 

 

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 School subjects: Science, Maths, Geography.  

SCIENTISTS STUDY HUGE PATCH OF TRASH IN THE OCEAN.  

 

Taken from an article in the Los Angeles Times 04/02/18 

Vocabulary  Meaning 

1. Aerial  Looking at something from the air. 

2. Previously  Before; in an earlier time. 

3. Published  To print something in a book or newspaper, or to make available online to the public.  

4. Researcher  A person who carries out academic or scientific research. 

5. Snapshot   A quick look at something. 

6. To inspect  To look closely at something. 

7. Biofouled  When slime, shellfish and other ocean life sticks to man-made surfaces. 

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The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is also called GPGP for short. It is a floating glob of plastic 

trash. It sits in the eastern Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii. It's also a lot 

bigger than previously thought. It's now twice the size of Texas. And it's only getting 

bigger.  

A team of scientists recently studied the garbage patch from above. They were in for a 

surprise. The patch was made of about 79,000 metric tonnes of plastic. That's up to 16 

times larger than previously thought. Worse, they found that the garbage patch is still 

growing, and quickly. The new numbers were published in Scientific Reports, a science 

journal.  

Laurent Lebreton led the study. The garbage patches are a reminder of what humans can 

do to nature. "It's quite frightening," he said.  

Plastics Of All Sizes Harm Ocean Life 

Plastics are meant to last. That's great for making grocery bags. It's not so great when 

those plastics end up in the ocean. They can cause all kinds of problems. Animals can eat 

them or be injured by them. Plastics that float around for a long time are biofouled. 

Biofouling happens when a layer of slime, shellfish and other ocean life is stuck to the 

trash. Biofouled plastic can attract fish and seabirds. Through these animals, the plastic 

ends up in the food chain. The full effects of these plastics on the environment aren't yet 

known. Scientists are worried, though. Large or small, plastics of all sizes can harm ocean 

life. 

Scientists have tried to get a closer look at the garbage patch. They drag nets through 

parts of the patch and take samples of the plastic they find. But this only gives them a 

snapshot. Most of the samples come from smaller pieces of plastic. The scientists aren't 

usually able to look at larger chunks. 

 

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Birds-Eye View 

Lebreton and his team decided to take a bird's-eye view. They did an aerial study of the 

GPGP from above. They also sent boats to take samples of the trash. Then they brought 

the samples back to shore to inspect them.  

The researchers split the plastic they collected into groups based on size. The pieces 

ranged from super tiny (microplastic) to large (megaplastic). There were about 1.8 trillion 

pieces of trash in all. Microplastics made up almost all of that number. But they only 

accounted for 8 percent weight. More than three-quarters of the rest of it came from 

larger plastic pieces. 

Fishing Nets A Major Source Of Trash 

Fishing nets were one major source of trash. They accounted for just under half of the 

garbage patch's mass. Nets are cheap and easy to replace. Fishing boats often leave them 

behind. But they can float through the ocean, trapping and hurting animals. 

Tsunami Shook Japan 

Fifty plastic items had dates printed on them. Most were from the 1990s and 2000s. One 

was from all the way back in 1977! A total of 386 items had words from nine different 

languages. A third were in Japanese. 

The researchers think they might know why. In 2011, the Tohoku tsunami and earthquake 

shook Japan. The disaster reportedly washed 4.5 million metric tons of trash into the sea. 

A third of that could have floated across the ocean surface. Then it could have made its 

way to the garbage patch. 

None of this accounts for plastic that sinks. There might be much more plastic on the 

ocean floor. Scientists aren't yet sure just how much more there is. 

   

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On the lines 

1. Find a word or phrase that means the same or similar to “reportedly” (pg 21)? 

 

2. One of the pieces of plastic washed up during the Japanese Tsunami of 2011 dated back to 1977. How old was that piece of plastic when it washed up? 

Between the lines 

1. There are three US States mentioned in the article. These are used to help us understand location and size. Can you find these states on the map of the USA? 

1) California  2) Hawaii 3) Texas.  

 

2. Texas is the biggest state in the USA. It is used to compare the size of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Texas is 695,000 km², New Zealand is 268,000 km².  

How many times bigger than New Zealand is Texas?  

a) 4 times bigger b) 2.5 times bigger c) 3.5 times bigger.    

3. A “metric tonne” (pg 20) = 1,000kgs.  ● 1,000kgs is about the same as 1.5 cows. ● Can you find anything else to compare 1,000kgs to? 

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Beyond the lines - Whānau Korero  

 

1. How does plastic enter the food chain?  

https://bit.ly/2LxjA69

2. What can we recycle in Auckland?  

 

 https://bit.ly/2yir73R 

3. How big is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Watch this:  

https://bit.ly/2ZukB3A

4. Read how Titirangi in West Auckland is taking action against plastic use: 

https://bit.ly/2LxxMw4

5. What changes have you and your family made to be more sustainable in your use of plastics?  

 

 

Explain why these choices are more sustainable. 

 

 

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School subjects: History, English, Te Reo Māori.  

LEGENDS OF THE MĀORI IN THE WAITAKERE RANGES.   

Vocabulary  Meaning 

1. Ancient  From a very long time ago. 

2. Extermination  Killing of a whole group of animals, people or plants. 

3. Insatiable  A neverending need or want for something.  

4. Isthmus  A narrow strip of land with sea on either side.  

5. Legend  A story from the past which is popular but not always completely accurate.  

6. Tohunga  A Māori priest or expert.  

7. Unobstructed  Clear, not blocked.  

In common with other Māori tribes, the Kawerau had legends which told how features and 

streams received their names, and others which portrayed life at the dawn of Māori 

settlement in the Waitakere Ranges.  

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Mokoroa: the Waitākere Taniwha 

 

The Waitakere Ranges was in early times the home of a taniwha (water monster). This tale, 

‘Te Patunga-o-Mokoroa’ (‘The killing of Mokoroa’) tells how he was trapped and killed there.  

 

Mokoroa is described as having fierce jaws, a spiny back and a powerful tail, and his 

appetite was insatiable. He had been the pet of ancient people of the area and helped them 

in battles, but with the extermination of his owners he was forced to fend for himself. 

Mokoroa stole from the eel nets and baskets in the nearby streams. When the catch was 

not enough to satisfy his appetite, he would go looking for stray travellers on the tracks, for 

he was not averse to eating a human now and again.  

 

The local people grew tired of Mokoroa, and it was decided that he would have to be 

destroyed. A warrior named Taiaroa volunteered to kill Mokoroa. With a large net, he and a 

companion went to the waterhole where the taniwha had his lair. Here they spread the net 

over the hole and together they waited in hiding until evening. When the last pink tinges of 

the setting sun were fading from the heavens, Mokoroa emerged and immediately became 

tangled in the net spread over the entrance to his home.  

 

As he thrashed and lashed about with his tail and body, he became more and more 

entangled until he could hardly move. At this stage, Taiaroa crept up and killed the monster 

with a thrust from his spear. During his last struggle, Mokorua swung his powerful tail and 

broke Taiaroa’s leg. Taiaroa lived for many years, a lame man who was always ready to tell 

of the battle and display the teeth he recovered from the jaws of Mokoroa. The tale of this 

act of bravery is remembered by the name ‘Mokoroa’ which is given to the stream where 

the taniwha had his home.  

Karekare’s Loss 

Stretched across the entrance to the Waitematā Harbour, the rugged volcanic island of 

Rangitoto has a number of Māori legends linked with its origin, including one from the 

people of the Waitakere ranges. It would seem that the tohunga of the Turehu people (fairy 

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people), who had their home in Hikurangi (between Piha and Karekare), were always 

arguing among themselves as to who was the most powerful.  

 

One fine winter’s day, the tohunga were sunning themselves in a sheltered spot looking 

towards the Manukau Heads. One of them complained about the fact that there was a 

volcanic cone (which rose up high above the cliffs in what is now Union Bay at Karekare) 

that blocked their view of the harbour entrance. Another tohunga suggested that if this 

volcanic cone annoyed him, why didn’t he do something about its removal? Accepting the 

challenge, the tohunga strode over to the cone, reached down and lifting it up onto his 

shoulder, set off across the Waitakere Ranges, intending to throw it in the ocean off Great 

Barrier Island.  

 

As he waded out into the sea, the water got deeper and colder, chilling his whole body. He 

wanted to get out of the painfully cold water as quickly as possible. So, not caring if the 

volcanic cone blocked the view of the Hauraki Gulf for the people in the Tamaki Isthmus, he 

threw it just into the Waitemata Harbour. This was how Rangitoto was formed.  

From Karekare there is now a clear view over the sandbanks at the entrance to the 

Manukau Harbour. This unobstructed view reminds us of this incredible feat of strength by 

the ancient tohunga of Hikurangi.  

On the lines 

1. What is a volcanic cone (pg 26)? Circle the correct definition: a) A hill. b) A hill that surrounds a volcano.  c) An island.  

2. Why did the tohunga only throw the rock as far as the Waitemata Harbour, not as far as Great Barrier Island? 

 

Between the lines 

1. Why did Taiaroa want to kill the taniwha Mokoroa? Write one sentence.   

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2. Why do you think tohunga are important to Māori society? Write two reasons.      

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Beyond the lines - Whānau Korero 

 Look at the map below of the Auckland isthmus.  It includes many of the places mentioned in the two stories above.  Find and mark these places on the map: 

a) Massey High School. b) Your house. c) Northwest Mall. d) The motorway (state highway 16). e) One place you’ve never been but would like to visit. Why would you like to visit? 

 

Text and illustrations reprinted with permission from the author. Text and illustrations not to be used outside of Massey High School or reprinted.  Reference: Diamond, J. T., & Hayward, B. W. (1979). Folktales and legends of the Māori in the Waitakere Ranges. In The Māori History and Legends of the Waitakere Ranges (1st ed.). Auckland, New Zealand: The Lodestar Press. 

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School subjects: History, Te Reo Māori, Geography.   

WAITAKERE 

HOW DID OUR LOCAL BEACHES GET THEIR NAMES?  

Taken from: West Auckland Remembers, Volume 2; James Northcote Bade

Vocabulary  Meaning 

1. Abandoned  Having been deserted or left alone. 

2. Authority  The power or right to give orders, make decisions, and force another person to do what you say. 

3. Distinct  Very different from something else. 

4. Entity  A thing quite separate from other things. 

5. Identified  Show or realise who or what (someone or something) is. 

6. Occupation  The state of living somewhere. 

7. Pakiwaitara  A Māori myth or legend. 

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8. Significance  Being worthy of attention, being important. 

9. Traditionally  As part of a long-established custom, practice or belief. 

Piha: The Bow-Wave 

There was not one Māori occupation of Piha, but a continuous relationship over many 

hundreds of years, leaving layers of names on the landscape. Names get lost over time, but 

the naming has not stopped and new names are given. 

Many of the earliest names are taken from their Pacific homelands. Hikurangi is one of 

these and it has considerable significance to the Te Kawerau a Maki people. 

Te Kawerau a Maki are the Tangata Whenua of Waitakere City, who hold customary 

authority or manawhenua within the city. Te Kawerau a Maki descend from the earliest 

inhabitants of the area. However, Te Kawerau a Maki people have been a distinct tribal 

entity since the early 1600s, when their ancestor Maki and his people conquered and 

settled the district. 

  

Te Kawerau a Maki, often refer to “going to Hikurangi”. Hikurangi is a hill, north of Karekare 

and east of Taitomo Island and Takatu Head. Rakataura used Hikurangi to refer to Piha and 

the surrounding area. The name Piha, was the name given to Lion Rock, referring to the 

way the waves part as they hit the rock, in a “bow-wave” pattern in front of the rock. 

 

Wai Karekare - The Bay of the Boisterous Seas 

Te Ipu Kura ā Maki Taua (a respected elder of Te Kawerau a Maki) stated that Karekare was 

an area seldom visited and was often referred to as “Ko Karekare te kainga i whakarere” or 

“Karekare the settlement that was abandoned”.

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The area of the coastline between Paratahi Island and Te Ahua Point is known as Wai 

Karekare in full, or by the shorter names of Kakare and Karekare. All three of these names 

relate to the agitated nature of these exposed waters. 

Many Pakiwaitara have inanimate objects which are given animate qualities. The large 

rocky headland now known as “The Watchman” was traditionally known as “Te Matua” or 

“The Parent Rock”. Te Matua had two children who took the form of the smaller rocks. Like 

all children they played on the beach and surrounding area but were warned not to stray 

too far from her protective skirt. However, one of the children was disobedient and 

wandered away to play. In human times when rocks no longer travelled the land the 

children were forever frozen in place. The child that behaved still remains close to its parent 

on the beach at “Tahoro” or Union Bay, It is known as “Te Tokapiri” or “the rock that clung” 

(to its parent). 

The wandering child is however forever separated from its family and stands alone off the 

southern end of Karekare. It is known as “Te Tokapoake” or “the rock that wandered” and 

more commonly as “Paratahi”, the sibling that stands apart. 

Waitakere: Sweeping Water 

The name Waitakere was only originally given to the river. The Ranges themselves were not 

identified by any one name but by many names for the individual hills: Puketotara, Te 

Toiokawharu, Rua o Te Whenua… to name but a few. 

The Kawerau a Maki people used the name “Waitakere” in a general manner. Waitakere in 

this sense referred to the whole river valley and the Te Henga area. 

The name Waitakere is strictly the name of a large flat rock in the small bay between Te 

Ihumoana Island and Kotau Point. Here the name refers to the action of the sea sweeping 

over the rock. 

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Originally this was not a name of great significance, but after the death of a Kawerau 

chieftain during “Te Raupatu Tihore” and the display of his body on the rock, the place took 

on immense significance. 

The bay itself became known as Waitakere, as did the river that flowed into it. It was the 

European settlers that used the name to describe the entire ranges.

On the lines

1. Write down a synonym for “inanimate” (pg 31)?   

2. If a school report described a student as “disobedient” (pg 31), would this be a good or a bad thing?

  

3. In Science, if you were asked to “agitate”(pg 31) the liquid in a glass beaker what would you be required to do?   

  

4. What word would we use if we were describing “clung” (pg 31) in the present tense?   

  

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Between the lines 

1. What does the Māori phrase Tangata Whenua mean? 

 

2. Why do you think Māori elders continue to tell the pakiwaitara of the rocks at Karekare beach? 

 

 

3. The extract mentions three West Coast beaches as well as the Waitakere Ranges. Locate the following onto the map of Auckland:  

a) The Waitakere Ranges b) Piha c)Karekare d) Te Henga (Bethells) e) Massey 

 

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Beyond the lines - Whānau Korero

1. Do you know any other Māori pūrākau or pakiwaitara? Ask your whānau. 

 

Why is this oral tradition so important to Māori? 

 

https://tinyurl.com/r5dgef4 

2. Watch this animation of the Māori creation story: 

 

https://bit.ly/2bBlYa9 

3. If visiting Te Henga, try to find the “Waitakere” rock.  

 

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School subjects: Social Studies and PE 

STEPHEN ADAMS: MY FIGHT, MY LIFE. 

A SECOND CHANCE  

Vocabulary  Meaning 

1. Competitiveness  A strong desire to be more successful than others. 

2. Mission  An important assignment. 

3. Motivate  To provide (someone) with a reason for doing something. 

4. Mumbled  To say something indistinctly and quietly, making it difficult for others to hear. 

5. Offence  Also known as attack, is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals. 

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6. Pursue  To follow or chase (someone or something).  

7. Revelation  A surprising and previously unknown fact that has been disclosed to others. 

8. Swat  To give the ball a sharp hit. 

You could say that my NBA career plan started at a Christmas family barbeque in Rotorua 

when I was 13 years old. We had gone to Viv’s place for a feed and Warren was up from 

Wellington. He asked how everyone was doing and we mumbled that we were doing fine. 

He asked if I was still playing basketball and I said, “Yeah, kinda”. He was looking me up and 

down, noticing for the first time how tall I had grown. 

“You want to play basketball seriously?” he asked. I had never even thought about it. My 

plan was still to become a farmer. But even though I didn’t pay any attention to the NBA, or 

even local basketball, I knew that basketball players got paid lots of money. If there was one 

thing that was going to motivate me to pursue a career in something, it would be the 

money, because not having enough was the cause of all the arguments I had heard 

between my Dad and siblings. I nodded to Warren, deciding on the spot that since I wasn’t 

doing much else, I could probably handle going to basketball practice a bit more. He just 

nodded back and carried on eating. It wasn’t a big revelation or discussion, nothing ever is 

in our family, but it set the wheels in motion. 

I started going to basketball practice even though I still wasn’t going to school. Doug 

Courtney, the Rotorua rep team coach found some Adidas shoes at a flea market that 

were size 16 and gave them to me. They were pretty much my only pair of shoes so I wore 

them everywhere: to training, to school if I decided to go a couple of days, even on the 

farm. 

Doug told me I should go down to Wellington for a basketball trial. It was for some rep team 

that he was coaching, but once again I didn’t really pay much attention beyond the fact that 

I was going to Wellington, a place I had never been before. 

When you’re a kid, you’re supposed to do whatever adults tell you to do. The adult in my life 

was my Dad, and once he was gone I wasn’t sure if this meant I should be making my own 

decisions now. I decided that for the time being I’d start listening to the adults around me, 

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so when Doug Courtney said there was a basketball camp in Wellington and he’d take me, 

the only option was to say yes. 

Well, the camp sucked. Actually, no, the camp didn’t suck. Everyone there from the coaches, 

the players, to the management, was really good. I was the only one who sucked. I might 

have been tall, but that was about it. For the first time I had to train with guys who were 

nearly the same height as me, but they had been training regularly for years. That weekend 

I got yelled at more than I’d been yelled at my entire life. Coaches were shouting out drills, 

which somehow everyone knew how to do except me. The other players were yelling at me, 

trying to tell me where to stand for every play. 

Although I was the tallest on the court, I did shoot some three-pointers, which I’m sure 

everyone hated. 

I didn’t enjoy the camp. It wasn’t that I didn’t like playing basketball, I was just so far behind 

on basketball knowledge and that was the first time it had become obvious. My drill 

partner for most of the trainings was a tall guy named Chris McIntyre, who was mean to me 

the whole weekend. We were complete opposites in every way. He was smart and did 

everything the way it was supposed to be done. I was grubby and had long hair that didn’t 

look anywhere near as good as my long hair looks now. 

I spent most of the camp just trying to swat every single shot. I didn’t know what was 

happening on offence so instead I made it my mission to not let anyone score against me. I 

hung around the bottom of the key (the free-throw lane beneath the basket) and goal 

tended. It worked out well because I made sure every block was exaggerated. At one point 

a power forward named Victor must have thought my useless offence meant I didn’t know 

how to use my height, because he tried to drive around me. The ball ended up in the far 

end court next to us and he didn’t try it again. 

That’s how basketball is when you’re a kid. Being tall means you only have to be half as 

good to get by. But after getting bumped around by Gabby, Lisa and Sid on our driveway 

basketball court for years, I knew that pretty soon being tall wouldn’t be enough. 

As we drove back to Rotorua and my regular life of video games and not much else, I 

thought about how hard the camp had been. I wasn’t invited there because they expected 

me to be the best, and yet it annoyed me that I was maybe the worst. My natural 

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competitiveness started firing up and I was suddenly determined to not be so out of my 

depth if I was ever asked back to another trial. I knew there was no way I’d make the team, 

whatever that was, and felt a little embarrassed about it. 

I didn’t find out until much later that the camp wasn’t actually a trial. It was the New Zealand 

under 17 team having their training camp before going to the Australian state champs. 

There wasn’t even a chance that I could have made the team because it had been selected 

months earlier, which just goes to show how much attention I was paying to what was 

happening around me. But while I was settling back into my life of relaxing and eating, the 

people around me were sorting my future.

On the lines 

1. What does it mean to “set the wheels in motion” (pg 36)?      

2. The article refers to two cities in New Zealand: Rotorua and Wellington. Locate these on the map. How long do you think it takes to drive between the two cities? 

 

3. Steven Adams refers to being “behind in basketball knowledge” (pg 37).  What do you think he means by knowledge? 

   

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4. What would be another name for a flea market (pg 36)? What do you think this suggests about Steven Adams’ life at this point? What other evidence is there in the text to back this up?    

Between the lines

1. What do the letters NBA stand for? Which country is this played in?    

2. When Steven Adams is away at the training camp in Wellington, is he playing more in defence or attack? Give reasons for your answer.  

  

3. Why do you think Doug Courtney invited Steven Adams along to the training camp in Wellington, given the team had already been picked? 

   

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Beyond the lines - Whānau Korero 

 

1. Read a 2013 article about Stephen Adams:  

https://bit.ly/2xqwbjq

2. Read about Stephen Adams’ $140M deal: 

https://bit.ly/2RPxlhv

3. Watch a video of Stephen Adams’ funniest moments: 

https://bit.ly/2yL6NVu

4. Stephen Adams has a famous sibling. Who is she and what is she famous for? 

5. As Steven Adams returns from the training camp in Rotorua, what evidence is there in the text of his intrinsic motivation?  

 https://bit.ly/2Wow9Gr 

  

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School subjects: History, Social Studies, Geography.  

 

THE HISTORY OF MASSEY  

 

Taken from: MHS The First 40 Years, by Jack Adams. 

Vocabulary   Meaning 

1. Bogged  To become stuck in wet, soft ground. 

2. Campaign  A connected series of operations designed to bring about a particular result e.g. a political campaign. 

3. Ceased  No longer continue. 

4. Census  A count of the population and its wealth. 

5. Crest  A special symbol used especially in the past to represent an organisation e.g. Massey High School. 

6. Desolate  Lacking the people, plants, animals, that make people feel welcome in a place. 

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7. Distinctive  Having a quality or characteristic that makes a person or thing different from others. 

8. Earthworks  A raised bank or wall made of soil. 

9. Founded  The beginnings of something. 

10.Gum  A sticky substance/sap from a gum tree. 

11. Incorporated  Joined together. 

12.Magistrates  A civil officer entrusted with administration of the laws e.g. a judge. 

13. Notorious  Well-known or famous especially for something bad. 

14. Orchard  A group of fruit trees e.g. apple trees. 

15.Personnel  People who work for a particular company or organisation e.g the personnel of the Air Force. 

16.Prospecting  To explore an area especially for mineral deposits e.g. gold. 

17.Revolved  To turn around a center point, to rotate. 

18.Sparsely  Few or not many e.g. the area was sparsely populated = there are not many people living there. 

19.Spurred  Encouraged. 

20. Wilderness  An area where people do not live, it is wild.  

21. Windswept  Strong winds. 

22. Whare  House or building. 

 

Massey, Auckland: A History 

Massey is a north-western suburb in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It was formerly a 

northern suburb of Waitakere City, which was formed by combining the areas of 

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Henderson, New Lynn, and Glen Eden into Waitakere City in the 1989 re-organisation of 

local government. On 1 November 2010, the city ceased to exist and was incorporated into 

the newly-created Auckland Council, coming under the leadership of the Mayor of 

Auckland. 

The suburb was named after former Prime Minister of New Zealand William Massey. 

Massey is a relatively large suburb and can be divided into three reasonably distinctive 

areas, Massey West, Massey East (separated by the north-western motorway) and Massey 

North (situated to the north of Royal Road). Between the 2006 and 2013 censuses, the 

population increased by 9 per cent, similar to the regional growth rate of 8 per cent during 

that time. In 2018 the population of the Henderson-Massey Board was 124, 000. The 

Auckland region population was 1.65 million, while the New Zealand population was 4.8 

million. 

 

Massey High School 

 

Massey High School is a co-educational secondary school, founded in 1969. The school was 

initially based at Henderson High School until the buildings on our current site at Don Buck 

Road were completed.  

 

Why did MHS open in the Henderson High School zone? Because the area including Massey, 

Taupaki, Haupa, Kumeu, Riverhead, Whenuapai, Hobsonville and West Harbour was 

growing rapidly in population. It was therefore becoming urgent to establish a new school 

in the area to relieve pressure on Rutherford High School where the roll had grown to over 

1600 students.  

 

The Ministry of Education decided to purchase the site in Don Buck Road, even though it 

was a hilltop with steep westward facing slopes. A huge quantity of earthworks was 

necessary to create a building platform and playing fields, with earth-moving machines 

frequently bogged in the notorious West Auckland clay. This took much more time than was 

originally anticipated, so a 12 classroom block was quickly built at Henderson High School 

to accommodate the 166 MHS foundation 3rd Form pupils for the 1969 school year. 

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School Crest and Motto 

The motto for the school “Seek the Heights” was suggested by the Chairman of the 

Henderson High School Board of Governors, and adopted by the Massey High School 

Committee at its meeting on 24th October 1968. It was felt it was a very appropriate motto 

because of its obvious educational significance. As well as this, the school was located on 

the top of a very high hill with very commanding views, so people and pupils coming to the 

school will have to ‘seek the heights’. Another factor is the connection with the Air Force, 

since the majority of foundation pupils were the sons and daughters of Air Force personnel. 

The year of the foundation of the school was also the year of man’s first landing on the 

moon - the greatest height that man has so far achieved! 

  

Former Teacher Terry Ball 

“I arrived at the school in 1977, as did Henry Kanuik (former teacher). The roll was 1200. 

Two thirds of the staff were male, and 80% of the student body were European. The 

farming community sent their children to us. The military bases at Whenuapai and 

Hobsonville also sent their children to MHS. There was no North Harbour bridge so the 

North Shore schools were not an option. As suburbia developed in Massey, the school 

gradually changed until it became a truly multi-racial community. Because about two thirds 

of the students were “bus students” much of what we did revolved around that. After 

school detentions, tutorials, or just catch up sessions were not possible. The Geography 

Department pioneered extended field trips. Henry ran a South Island Tour every second 

year for many years, and I did the overseas trips. We made a point of not using school time. 

This was in the days of the 3 term year with 3 weeks holiday in August. That was when we 

did our trips. MHS was a good place to work. The school’s leadership was very supportive, 

my colleagues were exceptional individuals, and the students were pleasant and teachable. 

MHS has always enjoyed positive parental input. It was there when I arrived in 1977 and 

was still there 39 years later. At the top level of professional leadership and Board of 

Trustee leadership, MHS has been extremely well served. Decisions made at the top have a 

huge influence on how well the school does. The best and brightest of students were well 

served as were those with academic limitations. Another outstanding feature of the school 

was and still is the range of extracurricular activities that are offered. It is all there in sport, 

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art, performing arts, music, indigenous culture, and so on, at the highest levels of 

achievement/expression. No one should ever be bored as a student at MHS. 

 

The school you have today, as in buildings and facilities, is largely the work of the third 

principal, Mr Bruce Ritchie. When I arrived in 1977 there was no gym, no pool, no Science 

block, no E block, no tech block, no performing arts centre, no music rooms, no art block, 

and the prefabs stopped at P4. It went from being a poorly resourced school in the early 

days to a very well resourced school over a 25 year period. The contrast between then and 

now is staggering. 

 

Since then, the school has grown to a roll of more than 1,750 students, with a full range of 

high quality classes from Years 9 to 13. The current Principal is former Tall Blacks captain 

Glen Denham.  

Former Prime Minister William Ferguson Massey  

The suburb itself was named in 1915 after one of New Zealand’s most significant politicians, 

the then Prime Minister William Ferguson Massey (born in Northern Ireland in 1856 and 

died in 1925 in Wellington). Prior to that, the sparsely populated area was known as 

Lawsonville, after settler John Lawson who had an orchard by the creek that also bears his 

name. 

Elizabeth Freeman (nee Gregory), who was born in Lawsonville in 1898, described it as, 

“wilderness, supporting a few cottages…a windswept, low [manukau] scrub desolate area, 

the ground being exceptionally poor”. Lawson’s Creek was home to a number of gum 

diggers who built simple whare on its banks.  

Until the 1950s this area was largely rural. The construction of the north-western motorway 

spurred its development. During the 1960-80s the low-income suburbs of Massey and 

Rānui were built. Relatively high numbers of Pacific people have settled in Rānui, where 

churches are a focus of community life. 

   

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Mr Don Buck 

Don Buck (real name Randoff Sanfrisco Figuero or Francisco Rodriques Figuero) was a 

Portuguese immigrant in New Zealand in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.  

 

He tried various businesses, all of which failed, before moving out to Henderson in 1911. He 

then started gum-digging at the recommendation of some locals. Kauri gum was at that 

time experiencing considerable prospecting attention in New Zealand, of which it became 

an important product for a short time. From there, he moved out near Swanson Stream 

and built his abode on some likely prospecting land. There, he found an abundance of gum, 

but was not able to do the work to remove it himself, due to a heart condition. He 

persuaded the Police Magistrates in the Auckland Courts that they should give convicted 

criminals the option of working at his camp, or serving a sentence in jail. On top of gaining a 

profit from selling the gum, he made money by renting out shacks to prospectors. 

 

Don Buck died suddenly on 5 August 1917, one day after suffering a heart attack. He was 

buried in a pauper's grave in Waikumete Cemetery, originally with an unmarked or poorly 

marked grave. The grave has since been marked with a gravestone as a result of a 

campaign and financing by local historian Marianne Simpkins.

On the lines 

1. Underline or highlight the vocabulary words when you read them in the article. 

2. Which of the words below is the same or similar to the word “wilderness”? Circle 

the correct words: 

Bush City Outback Town 

3. What is Massey High School’s motto? 

4. Underline the sentences/evidence that explains the meaning behind the School’s 

motto.   

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5. How did Don Buck Road get its name? 

 

6. What is the adjective used to describe the type of soil found at MHS? 

 

7. Massey was named after which Prime Minister? 

 

 

 

Between the lines 

1. There are three countries mentioned in this article; New Zealand, Northern 

Ireland and Portugal. Can you locate these countries on the map of the world? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2. MHS was built due to the rapidly growing population in the greater Massey area. 

What type of development is currently happening at Hobsonville, Westgate and 

Kumeu?  

 

 

What future problems could this cause? 

 

  

3. Don Buck died in 1917. Was that in the 19th or the 20th Century? 

 

 

 

Beyond the lines - Whānau Korero 

 

1. Describe the Natural Environment of the site of Massey High School? What challenges do you think that has presented / still presents? 

 

2. When did your whānau come to Massey? What has changed since they arrived?  

 

3. Watch this clip of a reporter exploring the “new” suburb of Massey back in 1978: 

 https://bit.ly/2Jgtl68 

4. Read “The Ballad of Don Buck’s Hill”:  

 https://bit.ly/2XhwxDc 

 

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School subjects: Social Studies & Languages  

PACIFIC CULTURE 

WHITE SUNDAY   

 Children lead a procession at the Auckland Samoan Methodist Church (St John’s) in Ponsonby, to celebrate White Sunday.  

Taken from: https://bit.ly/2Xkr43A and https://bit.ly/2KVR26K 

 

 

Vocabulary  Meaning 

1. Accorded  To give or grant something to someone. 

2. Entourage(s)  A group of people attending or surrounding an important person. 

3. Expatriate  A person who lives outside their native country. 

4. Extravagant 

Lots of money spent on it; excessive and elaborate. 

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5. Koko Laisa  Samoan chocolate rice pudding. 

6. Missionary  A person sent on a religious mission, especially one sent to promote Christianity in a foreign country. 

7. Palusami  A traditional Samoan dish of wrapped bundles of taro leaves with a coconut and onion filling. Sometimes made with chicken, fish or corned beef along with the coconut. 

8. Panikeke  Round pancakes. 

9. Privileges  A special right, advantage, or immunity granted or available only to a particular person or group. 

10.Purity  Free of any immortality, to be pure. 

11. Scriptural  Readings from the Bible. 

12.Recitations  Reading or repeating something aloud from memory. 

13. Reenactments  The acting out of a past event. 

14. Vantage  A place or position with a good view of something. 

15. Ushered  To show or guide (someone) somewhere. 

 

Lotu Tamaiti, which means "Children's Sunday", is the one time of the year when the                             

youngsters of the church host the ceremony. White Sunday is a national holiday in Samoa                             

falling on the second Sunday of October, with the Monday following a public holiday. It's an                               

extra day of rest that follows White Sunday's extravagant celebrations. 

 

The day was set aside by the London Missionary Society to honour children in Samoa. The                               

White Sunday meal may be the biggest feast of the year for many Samoan families in                               

Auckland. Children dress in their absolute finest and perform for their families. Participants                         

wear white to signify purity. It is a day for communities to acknowledge and celebrate their                               

children by hosting special programmes during the services, which include scriptural                     

recitations (“tauloto”), biblical story reenactments, rapping and other creative                 

performances.  

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Children are given the responsibility of planning the church service. They are also accorded                           

privileges normally reserved for elders, such as being the first to be served food during                             

meal time. The children practise for several weeks and the older children are responsible                           

for the day's sermon.  

The Stars of course get the main parts in the dramas, all the Sunday school teachers and                                 

Pastor’s wife coordinating the whole event would focus their attention on those very select                           

few.  

The ‘Stars’ are very important as the success of the drama and the day revolve around how 

they perform. A successful performance will for weeks, even months later, be the talk of the 

congregation, the village and seep out to the schools that they attend whether it be the 

district schools or the main ones in the capital of Apia. So White Sunday is a massively big 

day for the stars, their entourages, their families and church. 

White Sunday performances from the little 

pre-schoolers to the Junior and Senior youth 

is the main event – and they can be a 

marathon four to five hours in length. No 

matter the length, there is standing room 

only, with people sometimes on trees getting 

vantage points to see the performances. But 

boy, after the service is an event that really 

makes you feel blessed to be a youngster living and growing up in Samoa. 

When the service is done, all the children and youth are ushered to the Pastor’s house for 

the “to'ana'i” or family feast, where they are waited upon. A time where they are treated like 

royalty and served the most extravagant lunch/feast of the year, one fit for a king. Corned 

Beef, whole roasted pigs, ice cream and cake galore, you name it they got it. 

White Sunday is celebrated by Samoan congregations and families throughout ethnic                     

Samoan expatriate communities around the world.  

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Samoans make up the largest Pacific ethnic group in New Zealand, comprising more than                           

144,000 people. That is about 50% of New Zealand's Pasifika population. The Samoan                         

community make up more than 7% of Auckland's total population. This is expected to rise                             

to 10% by 2026. 

White Sunday Food Items: 

● Koko Laisa 

● Coconut buns 

● Taro and coconut cream 

● Chop sui 

● Palusami 

● Curry 

● Potato salad 

● Panikeke 

● Cook island donuts 

● Raw fish 

● Chops/Pork/ Sausages 

● Vegetables 

● Rice 

● Corn 

● Salad 

● Green bananas and  

coconut cream 

● Cooked fish with taro or banana leaves and coconut cream 

● Fish, mussels, oysters 

   

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On the lines 

1. The children wear white to signify what? 

2. Find another word or phrase that means something similar to signify (pg 50).   

3. The article states that news of a successful performance will “seep out to the schools”. Find another word or phrase that means the same or similar to “seep” (pg 51).  

4. “The children practise for several weeks”: is the word “practise”, in this sentence, an example of a noun or a verb?    

 

Between the lines 

1. White Sunday is always the 2nd Sunday in October. What date is that this year?    

2. Find and mark the following on the map of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand and Samoa. 

             

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3. In the article it states that the Samoan population of Auckland will increase from 7% to 10% of the total Auckland population by 2026.   

Auckland’s population in 2026 is projected to be 1.9million. How many Samoan people would that be? 

 

4. Why do you think it is important to celebrate cultural traditions such as White Sunday? Explain your answer. 

5. What other cultural celebrations do you know about? 

 

Beyond the lines - Whānau Korero 

 1. Which other Pasifika cultures do you 

know also celebrate White Sunday? Have a look at this video showing White Sunday in American Samoa.  

 https://bit.ly/2RRUpfz 

2. Watch this video about how to make palusami. Try making this recipe at home. 

 

 https://bit.ly/2KXoo59 

 

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