Let’s Vote! {New Zealand Election Mini booklet}

There’s never been a better time to explore the amazing history of New Zealand Politics with your class! This booklet has been designed to work with our Timeline of Politics & Voting in New Zealand, but could work equally as well supported by other forms of reference/research materials.

This ‘Let’s Vote!’ mini booklet is packed full of fun facts and a wide variety of activities. It includes a 26 page student booklet designed to support your teaching and learning around the topic of the up and coming general election and the history of voting rights and politics in NZ.

Topics covered include:

•  NZ Government – some basic facts about our parliament and how things are run in NZ!
•  Where is your electorate? What’s it called? Who are some of your local MPs? Find out and mark them on the map
•  Election eye spy – how many of these can you find? (e.g Watch an election debate on TV; Find a picture of an MP in a newspaper; How many election billboards can you count on your drive to/from School?)
• Add the vowels to complete the election themed words
• A leader can/has/is writing template
• Politics the year I was born (who was the PM? Who was in opposition? Use the timeline for reference)
• What do your kaumatua remember about the very 1st time they voted? Was it very different from today? Interview a family member
• If you were the Prime Minister of New Zealand, what are the top 3 issues you would tackle?
• Match the election themed words with their word shapes (+ answers)
• Election themed word search (+ answers)
• A selection of voting themed blank writing pages
• NZ voting history colouring page
• Māori names from the early days of NZ political history that you should know! Choose name from the list to research further
• Women’s names from the early days of NZ political history that you should know! Choose name from the list to research further
• There are some very special moments on NZs Political timeline. Choose one of the moments listed to research further
• Patterns on the timeline – noticing some of these patterns can help you to think more deeply about NZs Political history…
• Read through a selection of infamous quotes from NZ MPs – how many of these quotes have you heard before? Where could you go to find out more? Choose one of these quotes to research further
• What was the significance of the white camellia in politics? What did someone wearing a RED one mean?
• Pick a country to compare & contrast with NZ. What is similar about the way that country is run? What’s different? Does everyone get the right to vote? How long have they had that right?
• How many years until you are able to vote? How do you think voting will happen in the future? With a pencil & paper or….?
• Design an election billboard featuring yourself as an MP. What issues will you tackle? Will you belong to a major political party or be independent? What are your party colours?
• ‘Tē tōia tē haumatia’ (Nothing can be achieved without a plan, a workforce and a way of doing things) When we vote, we choose the people & parties that have the plans & pathways to achieve the goals we think are important. What is one goal you’re working on? What’s your planned pathway to reach it?
• 10 election themed challenges (e.g. Find out what colours match each Political party. Can you find some pictures of MPs wearing their party colour? What are the slogans of some of the major political parties? Rank them in order of your favourite to least favourite.
• Beehive themed acrostic poem template