There have been a number of accidents in New Zealand history which due to their magnitude and loss of life can be described as disasters or tragedies. NZHistory.net.nz looks at several of these events including:
Runs on the board: cricket in New Zealand
Topics include:
Cricket is New Zealand's major organised summer sport and enjoys the fourth-highest playing numbers. Cricket is not, however, a sport of great worldwide significance. Like rugby, its popularity is largely confined to present and former members of the British Commonwealth and, like rugby, the game originated in England. It reflects our colonial past. Sport is an important part of the New Zealand way of life.
This page outlines how the material on Chinese New Year can be used by teachers and students of social studies and history. The material can be a springboard into further topics associated with the experiences of Chinese in New Zealand. The links to the historic events offer opportunities for further study.
It is not our intention to provide an exhaustive list of teaching activities but rather to offer ideas to help the busy teacher get started.
We welcome feedback. Please use the comments box at the bottom of this page.
The date 25 April marks the landings of New Zealand troops at Gallipoli in 1915. This campaign was a complete military disaster and culminated in an Allied retreat in December. Anzac Day does not therefore commemorate a military triumph, and it was a tragic waste of human life for all involved. Far more New Zealanders – over 12,000 – died on the Western Front than at Gallipoli, so why is it not Passchendaele or the Somme that is forever etched in the collective memory of the nation?
Two kilometres north of the quiet little Wairarapa town of Featherston, a small memorial garden marks the site of a riot that resulted in the deaths of 48 Japanese prisoners of war and one guard. A further 63 prisoners were wounded.
A plaque commemorates the site with a 17th-century haiku:
Behold the summer grass
All that remains of the
Dreams of warriors.
Scientifically, the year is a complete cycle of seasons. A year is when the earth completes one full orbit of the sun. Its length is measured from one spring quinox to the next spring equinox.
Measuring the time of year was important to most people. Knowing the season was vital when deciding to plant and harvest crops as well as managing livestock in colder climates. Other cultural and religious practices happened at specific times of the year, so it was important to have some sense of time.
The 2007 Cricket World Cup is being hosted by the West Indies. The West Indies is not a single political or geographic state. This activity is designed to get students looking at this part of the world and locating the other countries competing in the tournament. For students with an interest in sport, this is an ideal way to combine their interest with some social studies themes.
Using the feature Runs on the board - New Zealand cricket and Cricinfo complete the following activities.
