Cultural Significance and Learning Implications

The assignment content discusses Aboriginal culture in Australia and Maori culture in New Zealand. The two cultures have similarities and differences, with the Aboriginals being multi-cultural and the Maoris being mono-cultured. Both cultures have a strong oral tradition and believe in spirits. The Aboriginals have a walkabout ritual for teenage boys, while the Maoris have a tattooing ritual to mark important occasions. New Zealand is similar to Australia in that it has a large population of foreigners who settled there, with Auckland being the largest city. The country also has children's rights policies and has made improvements in addressing issues such as child abuse and poverty.

Running head: PEOPLE, PLACE PEDAGOGY 1
People, Place Pedagogy
Name
University Title

PEOPLE, PLACE, PEDAGOGY
Assignment 1 Template
Page 1
Provide a brief overview of your local community/neighbourhood, including its name,
demographic information and relevant history, and your connection to the community.
(Approximately 200 words.)
I was born in the City of Bankstown which is located in Australian New South
Wales on the south western side of Sydney (Blashfield, 2012). The city comprises of
a population of 32,100 people according to a census carried out in 2011. The census
further states that Out of these people, 50.6% female while 49.4% is male (Moran,
2011). About 37% of the population of Banstown hail from Australia. Other
inhabitants hail from Pakistan, Lebanon, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Bankstown people
generally speak English and a larger percentage of the population is Muslim
(Australia 2006).
Bankstown City has diverse ethnicity and is ranked as one of the most
multicultured cities in Australia having over sixty different languages spoken by the
citizens. Bankstown covers an area of approximately 77 sq kilometres and has a
variety of natural resources and scenery such as Georges River, sporting reserves and
over 300 parks.
There has been a significant shift in the originality of the people who settled
in the City before. An increase in the migrants from Asia and Middle East has
increased while Ireland, Britain and United Kingdom dropped (Heinrichs, 2007). In
1797 Bankstown was named by then Governor Hunter which later became a
municipality in 1895. Before white settlement, some of the areas were home to
Dharug, Bidjigal and Gweagal people.
Sydney is the largest and oldest city in Australia accommodating over 4.5 million
people. Sydney has varied and dynamic ethnicity with about 31.6% of its population
born abroad compared to 22.1% of its overall Australian population (Heinrichs,
2007). With about 4.5 million people, according to census carried out in 2011,
Sydney metropolitan area records an annual growth of about 1.8% in past few years.
Britain was the topmost country in birth from outside Australia that inhabited
Sydney region. Second highest country in birth in Sydney region was China
(Blashfield, 2012).
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PEOPLE, PLACE, PEDAGOGY
Page 2
Place your A4 map here.
Page 3
Provide your list of 6 significant places here (number 1-6), with an accompanying
photograph of each site.
Include a short description and analysis of each one and it’s significance in terms of
local environment, history, culture, children’s rights, and the significance of these for
your understandings of your own sense of place and cultural identity.
Approx 600 words in total for this section.
Photo (Place photo here) Description Analysis (significance)
1.
RSL Club
RSL Club is located inside
Bankstown. It provides exquisite
buffet in a variety of ranges from
sushi train, to Asian and
European cuisine. It also
provides Australian delicacies
including roasts and seafood. The
Club is located within minutes
from the Train Station of
Bankstown. RSL Club is
available to all ages that wish to
visit the Club (Australia, 2006).
RSL Club is ideal as it has a
variety of activities including
a good buffet that allows
people from several areas to
enjoy the exquisite buffet.
The location is also ideal as
it attracts many people both
inhabitants and foreigners.
Many people like to visit the
Club on daily basis.
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PEOPLE, PLACE, PEDAGOGY
2.
Bankstown Library
Bankstown library located inside
Bankstown offer a variation of
courses, together with workshops
and events for all people residing
in the Town. In addition to this,
there are also classes such as
English classes, times to tell
stories, courses for those seeking
jobs, there are also computer
clubs. In this library, people find
activities that suit them most.
Education is important to
everyone in the community.
This library offers a wider
range of activities that help
members of the library to
socialize and gain new
knowledge. Apart from
gaining new knowledge,
members who visit the
facility also get a chance to
socialize with others they
find in the library.
3.
Paul Keating Park
Paul Keating Park was named
after Paul Keating who was
said to be a former Australian
Prime Minister. Born and bread
in Bankstown and later led for
about 27 years. He was also a
politician who was elected into
parliament at the age of 25
(Moran, 2011). In the park,
there is a monument that was
built in respect of the people of
Australia.
The Park has various
activities for all young and
old. It also has monumental
artifects that help to relate to
the original people of the
country.
Page 4
Photo (Place photo here) Description Analysis (significance)
4.
Hoyts Bankstown Cinema
Hoyts Bankstown Cinemas is
located in Bankstown. It
offers a chance for all both
young and old to get to
watch movies in the movie
theatre. It is inside a mall
and one can easily locate
other facilities in the mall.
This facility provides for
socialization and education
through the movies aired.
5.
PCYC Backstown
Founded in 1937 and with
more than 60 clubs and
centres across the state and
around 85,000 members,
Police Citizens Youth Clubs
NSW is one of Australia’s
leading youth organisations
(Australia, 2008). It has for a
long time been an essential
part of the society since it was
opened. It offers many
activities which include,
Being capital city, it has a
variety of galleries, and
cultural facilities to display
Australian rich culture.
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PEOPLE, PLACE, PEDAGOGY
dancing, martial arts, boxing
and many more. People of all
ages visit these centres across
Australia. It provides
environment for recreation
including table tennis, football
and pool. It also provides an
opportunity for members to
socialize (Blashfield, 2012).
6.
Bankstown Town Hall
Bankstowon Town Hall is
located in Bankstown in which
one will find creeks and rivers
that form a part of the
infrastructure.
Surrounded by beautiful
scenery and has people
who speak in many
languages.
New Zealand
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PEOPLE, PLACE, PEDAGOGY
Page 5
Provide a brief overview of another contrasting cultural environment, including
demographics, history, etc, and your reason for selecting this community.
(Approximately 200 words)
Page 6
Place your A4 map of your contrasting community here.
Page 7
Provide a list of 6 significant places for your second area here (number 1-6), with an
accompanying photograph of each site.
Include a short description and analysis of each one and it’s significance in terms of
local environment, history, culture, children’s rights, and the significance of these for
your understandings of your own sense of place and cultural identity.
Approx 600 words in total for this section.
New Zealand and Australia share several things in common, they have been
subjected to different environmental and historical impacts which have resulted in major
cultural variances. New Zealand on one hand was created on religious colony while
Australia was created on a penal colony. New Zealand is also a land of glaciers, lakes
and fertile soils while Australia is a land of snakes, desert, droughts and harsh land. Both
countries house or accommodate indigenous tribes that have in a long time struggled to
sustain their people and culture. The Maori from New Zealand and Aboriginals from
Australia have a deep history of colonization although their features from language, to
source are different. These features are conspicuous in the modern countries of New
Zealand and Australia which reflect the nations’ histories (Chow, 2008).
New Zealand is located on South Eastern side of the pacific and is home to
slightly over 4.6 million people. The oldest serving culture that dates back to 60,000
years is the Aboriginal culre. For many decades, the Aboriginal divided into tribal
groups with varying cultures including as many as two hundred fifty dialects. With the
arrival of the first bunch of British settlers in Australia in 1788, the purpose being to
create the a penal colony nation, a few convicts departed from Australia to New Zealand
where they met the cultural tribe of New Zealand the Maori people (New Zealand, 2000)
.
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PEOPLE, PLACE, PEDAGOGY
Photo (Place photo here) Description Analysis (significance)
1.
Canterbury
Canterbury is located on
southern island of New
Zealand characterized by
snow-capped mountains,
clear lakes and grassy plains.
It hosts about 600,000
people. The Maori people
are said to have lived in
Canterbury before white
settlers inhabited the area.
Canterbury has several
historical sites including
museums and beautiful
gardens.
Canterbury is beautiful
and originally inhabited
by indigenous people.
2.
Gisborne
Gisborne is a city in New
Zealand’s northern island. It
has several surf beaches and
wineries. It has a population
of 43,000 (New Zealand,
2008). The area has had
people settle for over seven
hundred years and was once
inhabited by indigenous
tribes. It is a coastal city that
experiences sunny weather
from time to time.
Compared to 14.9%, about
48.8% is Maori in this city
(Chow, 2008).
The Maori people are
indigenous like the
Aboriginal of Australia.
This city has some
similarities with
Australian home cities.
3.
Hawke’s Bay
Hawke’s Bay is an area on
NewZealand’s northern
Island east cost. It is widely
known for its wineries and
beaches. It is made up of a
population of 161,000 with a
percentage being Maori
people. It was formed after
separating from Wellington
Province. The city has
experienced some
earthquakes over the years.
It produces some of the best
Noteable for the wines
and sports particularly
rugby.
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PEOPLE, PLACE, PEDAGOGY
wines and has noteably won
awards for it. The most
popular sport in this city is
Rugby.
Page 8
Photo (Place photo here) Description Analysis
(significance)
4.
Marlborough
Marlborough is region at the South
Island of New Zealand. It is
commonly dry and its region can be
divided into four sections two being in
the south and in the west, mountains.
It has a population of about 45,500
and governed by a unitary authority.
The rights of children are exercised,
with many centers that offer education
to parents and guardians on
responsible parenting (New Zealand,
2000).
Marlborough is
known for its
exquisite wines.
5.
Manawatu-Wanganui
Manawatu-Wanganui is located in
New Zealand’s lower half side of
Northern Island. The region is widely
subjected by river catchments. The
rivers were significant to Maori tribe
as they linked the waterways that
crossed Northern Island. It has varied
landscapes and the regions located
close to the volcanic plateu are more
rugged because they are subjected to
harsh weather conditions especially
during winter. It has a few parks that
attract tourists (Moran, 2011).
The region has
several
landscapes some
of which are near
the volcanic
plateu.
6.
Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty found in Northern
Island of Newzealand. Located around
a pool of water and was the landing
point of many boats that brought in
Maori settlers to the country (New
Zealand, 2007). It has a population of
257,000 with well-established
industries of tourism, forestry and
horticulture. About 67% of the
inhabitants identify with European
community while 27% identify with
Maori. The region is sufficiently
This region has
inhabitants from
Europe and has
resources such as
forestry, and
coastal.
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PEOPLE, PLACE, PEDAGOGY
endowed with forestry and coastal
resources.
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PEOPLE, PLACE, PEDAGOGY
Page 9
Provide an analytical discussion that compares and contrasts the ways each of these two
communities recognises history (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and
local indigenous histories in other communities), children’s rights, cultural identity,
access to resources and sustainability. (Approximately 200 words)
The oldest serving culture that dates back to 60,000 years is the Aboriginal culture. For many
decades, the Aboriginal divided into tribal groups with varying cultures including as many as
two hundred fifty dialects. With the arrival of the first bunch of British settlers in Australia in
1788, the purpose being to create the a penal colony nation, a few convicts departed from
Australia to New Zealand where they met the cultural tribe of New Zealand the Maori people
(New Zealand, 2000) . The Maori people are mono-cultured unlike the Aboriginals who are
multi-cultured. The two tribes kept their systems of belief through the oral traditions. In their
culture, gods have several roles not only one and are classified as Ancestral, Totemic and
Creation Beings. On the other hand, Maoris believe that all living things and elements are
linked by a common descendant. They describe their origin from the separation of one
couple.
Aboriginal have a ritual known as walkabout ritual a rites passage for the teens males.
In this rite of passage, young boys wander around with aim of linking with the spirits, who
later escort the young men back home (New Zealand, 2008). The Maori also have a ritual
which requires impressing a tattoo at age of puberty. Later the kids get impressed additional
tattoos to mark important occasions. The women also get tattoos on their chins and upper
lips. The men also get tattoos that represent their position and lineage.
Pertaining arts, the Aboriginal have an instrument in the form of wood used in ceremonies
and rituals. The wood is made from the trees such as eucalyptus and is of length of three to
ten feet.
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PEOPLE, PLACE, PEDAGOGY
Page 10
Provide a reflection on your learning about researching place and the implications for
your role as an educator. (Approximately 200 words)
Apart from having indigenous tribes, New Zealand similarities to Australia revolve
around the population which comprise of many foreigners that settled there. New Zealand’s
largest city Auckland is home to more than 1.5 million people. The city is in the middle of
two harbors with over one hundred kilometers of coastline and beaches. It also houses marine
parks. The city attracts tourists with its landscape on which there are volcanic cones. The city
is surrounded by water hence the term City of Sails as it is known to own the biggest boats
(New Zealand, 2007). The main language used in the city is English although a large
population speak Polynesian, Maori and Asian languages. There are various places children
can enjoy such as Miranda Hot Springs with fresh mineral water, pools and suit swimmers to
help the children swim. There is also Snow Planet with enclosed snow all year through. Kids
and others will enjoy the atmosphere of snow skiing, tobogganing and other snow activities.
Children are protected in both countries through Children rights policies. Rights of
children come under three classes: the protection of children, provision rights and right to
participation. Provision rights are the rights of acquiring certain living standards such as
health and education whereas protection involve protection from discrimination and abuse.
Participation rights of children include rights to express themselves freely and right to
participate in public life (New Zealand, 2008). A review by a Commission in 2004 found out
that children enjoy their basic right in New Zealand. However, they also found out that
children were subjected to abuse and poverty. This denial of rights of children was amongst
the pressing issue on human rights that needed to be addressed. Other issues were inequality,
particularly on Maori children with ill health and lacked access to education. Since the
review, New Zealand has significantly improved in addressing the children rights issue.
Some of the implementations included increasing allocation to budget to address children
issues and amendment of Violence Act (Chow, 2008). On education, there was an
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Page 11
References
References
Australia. (2006). Composition of trade, Australia. Barton, ACT.
Australia., & United States. (2011). Scientific cooperation: Agreement between the United
States of America and Australia ; signed at Canberra, February 28, 2006.
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of State.
Blashfield, J. F. (2012). Australia. New York: Children's Press.
Chow, R. (2008). Ethics after idealism: Theory, culture, ethnicity, reading. Bloomington:
Indiana University Press.
Flood, J. (2006). The original Australians: Story of the Aboriginal people. Crows Nest,
N.S.W: Allen & Unwin.
Heinrichs, A. (2007). Australia. New York: Children's Press.
Migos (Musical group),, DJ, K., Lil, U. V., Gucci, M., 2, C., & Scott, T. (2017). Culture.
Moran, P. (2011). Australia. Basingstoke: AA.
New Zealand., New Zealand., & New Zealand. (2000). The New Zealand biodiversity
strategy. Wellington, N.Z.: Dept. of Conservation.
New Zealand. (2007). Environment New Zealand 2007: Summary. Wellington, N.Z: Ministry
for the Environment.
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New Zealand. (2008). New Zealand census of women's participation 2008. Auckland, N.Z.:
Human Rights Commission.
New Zealand. (2006). Māori peoples of New Zealand =: Ngā iwi o Aotearoa . Auckland, N.Z:
David Bateman.
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