Module 5

Question 1

What is Gondwana?

Answer 1

An ancient supercontinent that included what now are the continents of South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, the Indian subcontinent, and Zealandia.

Question 2

What tectonic plates does New Zealand straddle?

Answer 2

New Zealand straddles the boundary between two tectonic plates: the Pacific Plate and the Indo-Australian Plate. The North Island of New Zealand sits on the Australian Plate, while the South Island lies on the Pacific Plate. This tectonic boundary is known as the Alpine Fault, which runs along the western side of the South Island.

Question 3

How are mountains formed?

Answer 3

The collision and convergence of tectonic plates resulted in the uplifting of rocks and the formation of mountain ranges. Glacial erosion during the Pleistocene epoch further sculpted these mountains, creating rugged peaks and valleys.

Question 4

How long ago did what is now New Zealand start to separate from Australia?

Answer 4

85 million years ago

Question 5

What factors affected the New Zealand landscape in the last 5 million years?

Answer 5

By a combination of tectonic activity, glacial and interglacial periods, volcanic eruptions, and erosion. Tectonic forces continued to shape the landforms, while glacial periods sculpted the mountains and valleys through erosion.

Question 6

When did humans arrive in Aotearoa, and how do we know?

Answer 6

1250-1300 AD.

We know this through archaeological evidence, such as tools, weapons, and other cultural characteristics of Polynesian culture

Question 7

How long after human arrival were moa hunted to extinction?

Answer 7

200 years

Question 8

• What were the main species that went extinct during the Māori period?

Answer 8

• moa
• haast’s eagle
• giant weta

Question 9

What are the major environmental impacts that occurred after Māori arrival?

Answer 9

Deforestation - clearing large areas for cultivation
Hunting and fishing - exploited resources leading to decline or extinction in species
Introduction of invasive species - Polynesian rat (kiore) and the domestic dog

Question 10

What does Kaitiakitanga mean?

Answer 10

Guardianship - it is the obligation, arising from the kin relationship, to nurture or care for a person or thing.

Question 11

What does Taonga mean?

Answer 11

Treasure - where kaitiaki obligations exist, they do so in relation to taonga, - that is, to anything that is treasured.

Question 12

What is the key difference between Mātauranga Māori and the European knowledge system?

Answer 12

European philosophy placed humanity at the top of a hierarchy, above ‘nature’. Māori philosophy places humanity within ‘nature’, with recognition of connections and responsibilities.

Question 13

What were the effects of Māori interaction with the environment?

Answer 13

-habitat modification (burning forests)
-extinction of vulnerable species
-integration of new species
- human mediated changes in species distributions

Question 14

What is Rāhui?

Answer 14

the temporary ban or closed season placed on an area or resource, has been used by Māori to manage resources for generations. This allowed those populations of species to relocate from that change in the environment.

Question 15

Which species introduced to Aotearoa by humans, but excluding humans themselves, is directly responsible for the greatest number of extinctions of species endemic to Aotearoa?

Answer 15

Kiore, Pacific rat/Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans)

Question 16

Which term best describes a species for which Māori have kaitiaki obligations?

Answer 16

Taonga

Question 17

Which habitat or land-use type in Aotearoa was reduced in area by 90% as the result of human activity since 1840 AD?

Answer 17

Wetlands

Wetlands were drained for to make way for farming and urban development.

Question 18

Which tectonic plate underlies Rangitāhua (Kermadec Islands) and Te Ika-a-Māui (North Island)?

Answer 18

Australian plate

Question 19

Which major feature of Aotearoa is widely accepted to be the result of movement along the Alpine Fault over the past five million years?

Answer 19

The mountain range through Te Waipounamu (South Island)

Question 20

What is a key point of difference between modern conservation practice and traditional environmental protection in Aotearoa New Zealand?

Answer 20

Traditional practice preserved the capacity of the environment to provide for the people living in it; modern practice functions to prevent further loss of the natural environment and prohibits any form of subsistence

Question 21

TRUE/FALSE: Gondwana was a landmass that split into fragments which are now found in the northern and southern hemispheres

Answer 21

TRUE

Question 22

In what way was the geography of Aotearoa different 20,000 years ago (i.e. during the last glacial maximum)?

Answer 22

There was more exposed land area

Question 23

What is the best definition of rāhui?

Answer 23

The temporary ban or closed season placed on an area or resource

Question 24

In Mātauranga Māori what is the concept for the obligation, created by kinship and relationships, to protect or care for the environment?

Answer 24

Kaitiakitanga