Key Concepts SST

We are currently finalising a 'Future Planning' unit for social studies, concluding the topic by researching key concepts, as well as reflecting on our learning. We are preparing for our year eleven options and looking at career possibilities for the future is becoming the focus of our learning in many classes. The following are the key concepts we have been researching: 

CAREER

A career is a professional path or occupation which is undertaken for an extended period of your lifetime and from which one can derive financial benefit. A career can also be defined as a long-term financial profession determined by your goals, ambitions and interests. For example: if Amanda loved to help people and chose to pursue a job in the medical field, and then became a doctor, this would be her career. If Amanda loved helping people but did not derive a profit from her actions, then that could be defined as a hobby. Your career is not your end goal, it is the journey it takes to get there. 

ENTERPRISE 

An enterprise is generally an original idea that has been developed into a small business. It is a project or undertaking which is designed to provide financial benefit and potentially grow into a larger business. Often, enterprise can have a high risk factor, meaning that it is created with the high possibility that it will not succeed, or not provide much profit. For example: Karen buys one bunch of six bananas for $3, and sells each banana for $1.50. She sells all six, subsidising the three dollars she paid for the bananas originally, and making $6 profit. Now she can buy two bunches of six bananas for $6, sell them at a price of $1.50 each, subsidise the six dollars, and make 12 dollars profit. Now she can buy four bunches of six bananas, sell them for $1.50 each, subsidise the twelve dollars used and make a profit of $24. And so on and so forth. The risk factor here would be the idea that people would not be prepared to pay $1.50 per banana. 

ENTREPRENEUR

An entrepreneur is the brains behind the enterprise- they are the ones generating the idea. Generally an entrepreneur develops an original idea into a small business to provide profit, much like the banana selling example above. As mentioned before, these ideas come with a high risk factor- they are built with the knowledge that they could fail. An entrepreneur takes financial risks with their idea in anticipation of a profit. So to summarise, an entrepreneur makes the best of an opportunity or idea, aware of the financial risks, in the hope of making a profit and capitalising the idea. 

WALT DISNEY

As we have previously determined, an entrepreneurial person is someone who develops a high risk idea into a business to create profit. Based on the idea that enterprise is a high risk idea developed into a profit organisation, we can identify the moments in Walt Disney’s career that define him as an entrepreneur. When he was 18 years old he pursued a career in newspaper artistry- he then began experimenting with cameras, creating his very first animations. He then opened his own business and flourished from there. What I haven’t mentioned is that he suffered a substantial amount of hardship in his career, hence showing us the high risk element of starting his own company. He became bankrupt numerous times before he came to be known as the Founder of Disneyland. I chose Walt Disney as an entrepreneur because his career shows us the extremes of entrepreneurialism, and is an example for all people struggling to find their dreams- passion, determination and hard work can help you reach your goals, regardless of the obstacles you might encounter along the way. 

Career, entrepreneur, enterprise- three concepts which correlate into our current future planning unit. These concepts all have something to do with providing financial profit, which is, in essence, a fairly fundamental part of our ‘future.’ How I relate these three concepts to our current topic is the idea that they all revolve around a fairly significant and prominent aspect of our futures- money. Career- the pathway you take in life to make money, enterprise- a high risk idea for a business, and entrepreneur- the people who make these high risk ideas reality. All these concepts tie in with our plans for the future, which is why they relate to ‘Future Planning’ as a topic.  

This topic is working towards planning forward into our futures. This is particularly applicable in our current situations as we are choosing our year eleven options, beginning to direct our learning towards the career path we wish to take. Future planning is a unit devoted to educating students about financial choices and giving us an introduction into the real world ideas of money- it is also allowing us to think in depth about our career paths. To compare the two situations- the topic and choosing our year eleven options- the topic teaches us to look into the future, after schooling, at what our career choice will be, requiring us to choose a definite job to base our research on. Our year eleven options teaches you to, yes, to look into the future at your career, but also to keep your options open, literally and figuratively. The similarities are that both look into your career, and ‘planning’ for the future. 

This topic revolved around identifying a career choice for the future- choosing a definite job profile to do our research on. This topic was challenging for me because it required forward thinking and research, identifying and accounting for different variables before coming to a definite answer. I had trouble deciding on a career to investigate because I didn’t want to feel constrained by that choice, even though it was just for a research project. This topic also allowed us to investigate the realistic financial requirements to exist comfortably in our society today, challenging our perspective on money and the idea that it does not just grow on trees. 

Change is the result of action, action is the result of… well a whole host of different factors. This topic has helped me break a mental barrier I previously had- the idea that determining your career choice now, confines you for the future. This is not true, and it is only through this project that I have come to terms with that fact. Through this research investigation I have learnt that never wanting to give something a go for fear that it will restrict you, means you will never try anything. Pretty impressive discovery. So how does this research project become an action plan for change? Well it gives people a realistic idea of the financial requirements needed to live, it gives people an insight into their career interests, it allows people to devise their own action plan for life. This research project gives students the ability to feel more independent about their career choice, this is the action plan for change. Allowing students to be more independent, and gain an idea of their career paths before making career altering decisions, makes students more prepared for change after they leave school. The action plan for change, is preparation. 

This topic has reviewed a multitude of different concepts regarding our future- finance, career paths, business. This unit has allowed us to address our plans for the future, looking into our career paths and the realistic requirements for living in our current society. As previously discussed this is particularly relevant as we approach year eleven, when the time for choosing our options looms near. This topic resulted in several mental breakthroughs for me personally, and all in all this topic has been thoroughly mind broadening. I would conclude by saying that this unit has educated me in the realistic requirements needed for existing in today’s society. Comfortably. 

SST - What is Enterprise?

During lockdown we have been working on a Future Planning unit, currently looking into enterprise. This unit is particularly applicable to our current situation at school- year eleven is looming ever closer, and we are currently choosing our options for next year. Below is a slide I have worked on to answer the question, what is enterprise? 

Creative Writing for English

During the past few days of lockdown, 10M has been working on developing their creating writing, using sentence starters to prompt our stories. After completing the first part of our story, we swapped with someone else, completing their story. I swapped with Lia and our final results where as follows: 

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE TALENT SHOW

Lia - I admit I was jealous, but what happened at the talent show was not entirely my fault….

Let me explain...It all started two weeks ago when an abundance of school students tried out for the annual school talent show, one of those students being my nemesis. I happened to be really grumpy that day as I spilt my cereal all over my laptop. I stumbled across Lilith (yes that’s her dreadfully ugly name) while waiting in line. I was holding my props tightly in my hands, knuckles turning white. She sashayed over to where I was standing, looked me up and down as if saying ‘what are you doing here?.”

  “What do you want, you snide beast?,” I sneered at her.

  “I could ask you the same thing, fainting goat,” she quickly snapped back at me.

I know, the typical rivalry converse between two that despise each other. I just can’t help myself. Really. I turned my back to the atrocious beast, minimising her existence within my consciousness to a nominal, giving her the wonderful cold hand.

Later, when I filed onto the stage to give the judges my entry performance, something horrible happened. As I was implementing a magic performance, I had many props tucked away here and there. As I was going about my magical performance everything seemed just fine, to start with. As I pulled my magician's wand out to start performing an additional trick, the stage speakers crackled, then blasted a voice recording of myself - I recognised it immediately. The voice recording was of a younger me talking about a crush I had on this boy earlier on in my life, I turned the colour of my Grandma’s lipstick in a matter of seconds. My brain was already hectically putting together a list of possible suspects of this vicious violation of my privacy. But only one person could be the prime suspect, yes you guessed it, Lilith. I saw her laughing hysterically out of the corner of my eye. Reality came crashing back down on me in no time. I was standing in the literal middle of the stage stark red in the face. One of the judges was politely asking me to leave the stage.

  “Can I try again please?,” I stuttered.

Someone laughed.

  “I’m not sure that this voice recording illustrates what exactly talent is, darling,” said another judge.

  “Y-You don’t understand,” I pleaded. “I didn-”

  “I am very sure we understand; please take your leave,” said the same judge.

I stood there for a second utterly gobsmacked at what had just occurred. I floated off the stage, as if I weren’t alive. Lilith, was all I thought as I walked home at the end of the day, I will get her back. Two weeks later: the night of the talent show.

To be continued... 

Lilly- The air was tinged with anticipation as people milled around backstage waiting for their calls. People were doing the final checks on their props, eradicating even the tiniest mistakes that could cause horrific damage to their acts. I stood there clutching the microphone in my hand, repeatedly going over my cue cards. 

  “Too bad we never got to see your entry audition,” came the voice of the dreaded creature from behind me, “I would have loved to see your immeasurable talent put on show.” 

I turned around, bracing my eyes against her hellish appearance. Summoning as much sarcasm into my voice as physically possible, I said,

“Lilith, thank you so much for contributing your unique point of view, and I feel so much better knowing I have your support.” 

I followed this statement up with a theatrical hair flip, practically sending my glasses flying off my face, and marched further into the throng of people roaming around backstage. My face was flaming by the time I reached the changing rooms, and barely contained tears of humiliation stung my eyes, begging to be released. I wrenched open the door of one cubicle and stumbled in, slamming it shut behind me. Why, oh why must this woe befall me? I wondered to myself. I don't quite know what possessed me then, it was as if I was detached from my body, conscious of what was occurring but no longer in control. I saw myself ascending the steps up to the stage, Lilith's horror struck face as she saw me come onto the raised platform, right in front of where she was performing. I heard her pause mid rendition of the song “Firework”, her voice screeching to a stop as she shouted at me to get off the stage. I saw myself floating over to her and wrenching the microphone from her grasp. I started to stomp my feet, clap my hands, and like the wild things, I gnashed my terrible teeth, and roared my terrible roar. What happened next was very unexpected. I started to sing, a loud pure song bursting forth from my chest, like a tidal wave of anger directed at the person standing in front of me. This song was the result of hours spent sobbing in toilets, of late nights spent worrying what tortures the next day would bring- this song was from the darkest depths of my heart. I opened my mouth and let the words flow from me:

Bullies are people you cannot forget,

Bullies are people who do not regret.

Bullies are people who thrive on your fear, 

Well I have a question for you bullie dear. 

Why, why do you treat us this way? 

Does it make you feel better, does it make you feel sane? 

I wonder, does it take away your pain?

To see me stranded here this way? 

On and on, stomping my feet, clapping my hands, letting these words flow through me. Then suddenly I was back in my body and everything became too much- the lights, beat, music, shouting. And then I was brought back to reality with a sharp smack. My hand flew to my cheek and I looked at Lilith with murder in my eyes. I started towards her but was wrenched back by a security guard and hauled off stage. 

Like I said, it wasn’t entirely my fault that the talent show was canceled.

THE WAVE

The rickety old fishing boat drifted aimlessly out in the open sea, sending ripples dancing across the otherwise opalescent surface. The boat carried two people, one as old as the boat itself, the other as young as new fishing rods they both held outstretched over the water. The two were startlingly similar in appearance, with dark skin the colour of crushed coffee beans, and molten honey coloured eyes. The old man's eyes displayed childish mischief and cunning, their honey golden depths twinkling with unspoken humour. The young girl's eyes seemed to display an outward wisdom her grandfathers lacked, and looking into their amber expanse was like trying to find the bottom of the sea. 

They sat there gazing at the ocean, the old man with the young eyes and the young girl with the old eyes, neither speaking to the other, both content to be drifting out to nowhere. A breeze ruffled their hair and the young girl glanced worriedly into the wind, her gaze flying around in search of… something. The old man had fallen asleep so she shook him awake, pointing at the dark cloud that had begun to gather on the horizon. The breeze had transformed into a full blown gale, wind howling over the small boat, galloping over the two shaking passengers who clutched each other in an effort to stay afloat. They were in the heart of the raging storm, only able to watch as a mammoth wave rose over them, yawning towards them like the jaws of a howling beast. It tore their boat apart, plunging the old man and the girl into the heart of Davy Jones Locker. Sinking was like flying, the girl thought for the last time before she fell into the all consuming embrace of darkness. 

to be continued…

Lia- Waves crashed over her head as she struggled to keep her head over the water. White foam clouded her vision as she went under anew. She grappled on for a good while until she began to feel the merciless wrath of exhaustion. Is this really how I die? she thought, is this really the end? She tried everything within her power to keep fighting, to fight the endless yawning jaws of the dark beast that was feeding tirelessly on her strength. So she gave up. She had come to the conclusion that this was the best way to bring an end to it all. So she let the darkness take her. So she thought…

She was like a sponge full of water. Her organs and tissues were damp and soggy from being in the water for such a long duration of time. She was brushing death, the dark, engrossing and exhausting edges of what she very well knew to be the end. Everything she was able to see - whether she had her eyes open or not - was either black, grey or some other shade in between. She felt as if her body as a whole was paralysed; she was unable to move, detect where exactly she was, much less what state she was in. Her mind floated endlessly along the brinks of death, neither conscious, nor unconscious. As she floated in her head space, she became aware of two things; one, she was exceedingly cold; two, she was alone. How she was aware of these things without being completely conscious, she did not know. Intuition, perhaps. Her mind was elsewhere, in a different world full of the bleak colour grey. Endless, endless abyss. Nothing. Nowhere. 

A strong hand latched onto her arm, a second one seizing her other arm, hauling her out of wherever rabbit hole she happened to be in. She was dragged over the edge of something hard and rugged, pieces of brittle wood piercing into her water weathered skin. She was gently laid onto the floor of something hard and uncomfortable. She heard a gruff, but kind voice;

  “It’ll be ok, don’t you worry.”

Future Planning Research- SST

We are currently in a future planning unit for social studies- as the end of the year draws closer, so does the time for choosing our year eleven options, and this unit allows us to have a closer look at our future careers. We had a list of things to investigate:

- Job Title
- Income Total
- Study Time & Cost
- Cost to own your chosen home - weekly rent or mortgage repayments.
- Furniture etc
- Monthly cost for Power, internet, water rates, -
- Weekly Food Cost
- Mobile Bill
- Car loan and repayments
- Children? No
- Clothing
- Eating Out?
- Life insurance
- House/contents insurance
- Planned Holiday
- Health Bill
- EXTRA- Hobbies
- Retirement Plan

This helped us gain an understanding, realistically, of the cost it takes to live comfortably in the modern world- it's a lot. My job title was graphic designer as it incorporates a large number of the things I am interested in- drawing, rendering, computer graphics, adobe suite, creativity, ect. I am not sure if this is the career I will pursue, but for now it seems like something geared towards my interests. Below is the slideshow containing my research on the topic. I would like to note that many of the figures are estimated, and provide a framework as supposed to being 100% reliable. 

Tangata Rongonui Research: 10MAO

Ingoa: Dame Te Atairangikaahu

Important facts about your person?

Dame Te Atairangikaahu, of Ngati Mahuta, Ngati Apakura and Ngati Maniapoto, was the first woman chosen to lead Kīngitanga (the Māori king movement), becoming the first Māori queen. Born Pikimene Korokī Mahuta, or Princess Piki, she later assumed her mother’s name, which is what she became widely known as. She was born at Waahi pā on the 23rd of July, the youngest of two female siblings, and was educated at the local Rakaumanga Native School, subsequently groomed for leadership from a young age. Her aunt, Te Puea Herangi, was very influential in her life, and prepared her to lead the Kīngitanga, should she be chosen for the role in later life. At the age of fifteen, her aunt sent her to board at Te Rahui Wahine, a Methodist school where she became a prefect, her leadership skills prevalent from a young age. While Te Puea ensured that Piki was comfortable socialising in a European environment, she made sure Piki never lost sight of her Māori heritage. Overall, Piki’s passage into the political world, and her success in that field, is largely attributed to the assistance, encouragement and pressure placed on her by her aunt. During a visit from Queen Elizabeth the ll and the Duke of Edinburgh to Tūrangawaewae, Princess Piki was the one to lead them into the marae, her father, Korokī, the leader of the Kīngitanga at the time, fell back, and many people viewed this as him marking Princess Piki as his heir. Over the years, he grew increasingly ill, and Piki represented him more and more, demonstrating her confidence and charm as a leader. Following his death, Piki was elected queen, but was reluctant to accept her role and she chose to strongly mark her ascension by taking on her mother’s name- who had passed the previous year. 

What did he/she do to contribute to the survival of te reo Māori?

Te Atairangikaahu was the leader of the Kīngitanga for over forty years, and she contributed extensively to the survival of Te Reo Māori. Not only was she responsible for the continuous hosting of many Māori events, but she became ingrained in the community. People respected her as a leader- she could be seen attending a rugby game as much as the theatre or opera, and her speeches reflected the beliefs of her people. She traveled extensively overseas, and gained greater respect, not just for the Māori people, but for all of Aotearoa. She was a strong supporter of many cultural events, including the Pacific arts festival, ensuring that traditions were upheld, and not forgotten. A key event in her reign was the Waikato Raupatu Settlement in 1995, settling the ongoing land disputes in the region, and gaining acknowledgment from the government to help come to a mutual agreement that would suit both parties- the Pākēha and Māori tribes who had lost land during colonisation. Te Atairangikaahu was an advocate for Māori, working to uphold the traditions that had been passed down through generations. She was a patroness for the Māori Women's Welfare League and kōhanga reo movement. She continually expressed the importance of maintaining the language in youth. In 1970, Te Atairangikaahu became the first Māori women to be made a Dame. Her perseverance and determination in the revitalization of Te Reo Māori, is a key time in the history of the language. 

Why did you select this person?

For me, choosing Whina Cooper would have been the obvious choice, as she is well known for contributing to the survival of Te Reo Māori. However, I wanted to investigate someone I didn’t know anything about- so I chose Dame Te Atairangikaahu. Before completing this research I knew nothing about her- my understanding of important Māori figures through the years is very limited- and I really wanted to broaden my knowledge. The reason I chose Dame Te Atairangikaahu is because I wanted to learn more about different people who have contributed to the survival of a precious taonga of Māori culture- the language. 

What can you contribute to continue the legacy of your Tangata Rongonui?  

In my opinion, the greatest thing we can gather from Te Atairangikaahu’s actions is to never give up. Stand up for what is right, stand up for the people that can’t do it themselves. Preserve what is precious to your community, culture, people. To contribute to her legacy, we cannot forget- teach the language, learn- anybody can continue this legacy, everybody can contribute, you don’t need Māori heritage to keep a precious culture alive. Don’t laugh at someone because they can’t pronounce the words, because they might be trying really hard. My chosen Tangata Rongonui was Te Atairangikaahu, who taught people that determination can be the backbone of keeping what you love, alive. 

POSTER OF MY TANGATA RONGONUI

Social Studies: Significant Natural Areas

Significant Natural Areas, otherwise known as SNA, are areas of land that have been identified to have a high ecological value. In other words: there are special plants and animals residing on that land. This is an initiative brought in by the Resource Management Act and implemented by the Far North District Council, with the aim to put a lid on habitat loss and land development. To do this, the FNDC (Far North District Council) is bringing in specific rules and regulations which will have a massive impact on property owners. Land owners will no longer be authorised to clear, develop or subdivide their property, unless they apply for resource consent from the council, plus an additional fee. You are allowed to plant native species within the SNA, but bringing in exotic vegetation is no longer allowed. Finally, land owners are under no obligation to introduce fencing onto their property to actively protect the SNA areas, but you are not compensated for having SNA land on your property.  

Under no obligation... Land owners can no longer develop, subdivide or clear their land without consent from the council, an extra fee, and building management- but landowners are under no obligation to protect the SNA. This new initiative removes a land owner's freedom to dictate what occurs on their land- land that is rightfully theirs, land they have already paid for. It might be argued that the FNDC is simply trying to protect the land, not take it away from people, but the rules and regulations that would be put in place should this action go ahead would restrict landowners in such a way that they essentially no longer own the land. 

Firstly, property owners own their respective areas of land- they have already paid for it, meaning that legally, they have the right to use the land as they so wish- within reason. Introducing the SNA initiative would mean that landowners must apply for a resource consent from the council before developing their land- the council then needs to approve the application, leaving the overall decision of what the owner can do with their land to the council. How can land owners be expected to cooperate with the new initiative, if it means that land they own is essentially going to be placed in the possession of the council- maybe not intentionally, but that is what will happen under the rules and regulations the action brings in. 

Secondly, the import and planting of exotic vegetation within land that is SNA is strictly prohibited without consent from the council. To put this in perspective, if a house you own is already on SNA land and you want to put a hedge in place to conceal the house slightly, you are not allowed to do this, or you must pay the council the additional fees. Again, this initiative is dictating what you can and cannot do on your property- yes, they are trying to slow habitat loss to introduced species, but they are doing it at land owners expense, they are doing it at the communities expense. This initiative is simply looking at areas of land that have native bush on them and saying, "yes that is protected," or "no you can't use that any more," etc, etc- instead of isolating the areas of land that can easily be protected, they are looking at every scrap of land in the far north, not taking into consideration: land owners, property and areas that are already covenanted. They are trying to protect all the land, when that is not realistically possible. Then there is also the question of whether they are attempting to protect the land or are doing what has been described as a "modern land grab." I believe that this initiative does not consider land and property owners in the far north, it does not consider the people of Te Tai Tokerau, and as a result is most accurately described as a modern land grab. Oh, by the way, gorse is considered SNA...  

Thirdly, you still have to pay land rates and you are not compensated for having SNA on your property. So despite the fact that you have already paid for the property, are paying land rates for land that you currently can use, you are not going to be compensated for having SNA on your land- meaning that should the action go through, that land containing SNA and will essentially be unusable by owners, who have already paid for that land with the intention of using it in some way. And land owners are still required to pay for that land that they are unable to use. So, you have to pay for land you can't use, and are not compensated for not being able to use that land. Out of the three main regulations listed above, this one strikes me as the one that causes people to describe this SNA initiative as a land grab. The FNDC is responsible for the execution of this action, but they need to take into consideration the members of the Northland community, modifying the initiative to better suit our current environment.  

Taking away people's freedom to decide removes their willingness to cooperate. Taking away people's ability to freely make a decision only makes people more strongly oppose the decision in the first place. The council is trying to protect our precious habitat and land, yes, but the way they are going about it is driving people to attack, disagree and protest the introduction of this initiative. The FNDC needs to see that completely halting the development and usage of land is not going to solve the major issue of habitat loss. I believe that our country is panicking, trying to make up for the land we have already lost to pasture and paddock, factory and farm- shutting down property owners' ability to develop their land will not solve the problem in the long run, I believe it will make it worse. We can neither continue to destroy the sparse natural habitat that remains in Northland- but neither can we completely stop the development of the forty two percent of land that has been identified as SNA. Maori or commercial land, this new SNA policy will affect both, and the people of the Northland community and the FNDC need to come to a constructive solution to help tackle the habitat issue our country is facing. 

Below is a map that shows areas of land that have been identified as SNA. Please comment if your property or areas of land you own fall under an SNA area.  

ENG - Wild Pork and Watercress

During our Y10 ENG classes this term we have been working on a novel study of the book Wild Pork and Watercress, by New Zealand famous author Barry Crump. You might be more familiar with the movie adaptation: Hunt for the Wilderpeople. To summarise the plot, Richard Morehu Baker goes to live with his Aunt Bella and Uncle Hec following a series of failed housing attempts. He slowly learns how to live on the farm, becoming and adept hunter and a great help to his foster family. All is well until Aunty Bella suffers from a stroke, passing away mere months after taking Rickey in. Uncle Hec is forced to leave the farm, and Rickey would have had to return to the social welfare people had he and Uncle Hec not run away into the bush. The majority of the book recounts the adventures the pair experience whilst in the bush; broken feet, running from the authorities and becoming wanted outlaws. The book concludes with an epitaph recounted from the view of another character, showing the story in an entirely new light. 

Following Uncle Hec and Rickey's journey, watching as they come to relate to each other more and more, and laughing at Rickey's comical perspective and outlook at life- I would thoroughly recommend this book to anybody, as it is a fairly easy read, highly entertaining, and contains many valuable life lessons.