Lesson 1 - Introduction to Civic Engagement and Active Citizenship

What is civic engagement as defined in Lesson 1?

Civic engagement is participation in public activities aimed at influencing and improving the life of the community, beyond private concerns

What does the term ‘flaxroots’ refer to in the context of civic engagement?

It refers to community-level, non-professional organizing often emerging from Māori civic life or local communities.

Name the four principles of civic dialogue outlines in the lesson?

Inclusion, Equality, Publicity, and Reasonableness

What is the role of Tw Tiriti o Waitangi in civic life?

Te Tiriti o Waitangi underpins Māori citizenship and is recognized in law and public institutions, shaping participation, partnership and protection.

What is ‘social enterprise’ as defined in the lesson?

Social enterprise uses market mechanisms to achieve pro-social outcomes, distinct from corporate social responsibility or charity.

How might the principle of ‘inclusion’ apply to a youth-led climate action campaign?

By ensuring all affected stakeholders, including youth, are actively included in decision-making and dialogue.

In what ways did the Ihumatao campaign embody both Māori and Western civic values?

It used Māori concepts like kiatiakitanga and whanaungatanga, while also embracing public protest, legal channels and media strategies

How does the course define an ‘active citizen’?

An active citizen engages beyond minimum civic duties but participating meaningfully in community and political life to effect positive change.

What challenges can arise from non-Māori leading civic engagement efforts involving Māori communities?

Risks include unintentionally speaking over others, cultural insensitivity, or undermining mana whenua relationships. Additionally, non-Māori may lack an understanding of the historical and cultural contexts that shape Māori perspectives, which can lead to ineffective or disrespectful engagement.

How does civic dialogue differ from casual conversation?

Civic dialogue is public, reasoned, inclusive, and seeks consensus or constructive disagreement on matters of collective concern.

Critically assess how online networks shape civic engagement in both constructive and harmful ways, using examples from contemporary movements.

Online networks facilitate rapid mobilization (e.g. School Strike for Climate), amplify marginalized voices, and enable decentralized organization. However, they also fragment public discourse, foster echo chambers, and have enabled the spread of disinformation (e.g. QAnon, anti-vaccine movements). Platforms like Facebook and Twitter are structured around engagement metrics, incentivizing outrage and sensationalism. Furthermore, digital activism can be superficial (clicktivism), and algorithmic control by tech giants undermines democratic accountability. Thus, networked civic engagement has transformative potential, but only when accompanied by critical digital literacy, equitable access, and robust civic institutions.

In what ways does the Ihumātao protest challenge the Western liberal model of civic engagement?

The Ihumātao protest re-centers indigenous values such as whakapapa, mana whenua, and Kiatiakitanga, presenting a collective and relational model of citizenship. It contests the state’s monopoly on legitimacy and shows how civic life can be rooted in intergenerational obligation, int individual rights. It merges protest, occupation. legal challenge, and online media into a hybrid model that defies traditional categorization and bridges te ao Māori with liberal democratic norms

Evaluate the effectiveness of protest as a form of civic engagement, drawing on historical and contemporary examples.

Protest is effective in drawing public and political attention to unjust ice, creating symbolic power through visibility and moral claims (e.g. Springbok Tour, Ihumātao, Black Lives Matter). It can act as a democratic pressure valve when institutional channels fail. However, protest can also be polarizing, co-opted, or dismissed, especially when lacking follow-through strategies, its success depends on integration with legal, media, and policy channels, and on its capacity to connect with broader public sentiment and systemic reform.

Compare liberal Western views of citizenship with te ao Māori perspectives. How do these frameworks shape different civic priorities and methods?

Liberal Western views emphasize individual rights, legal equality, and procedural participation (e.g. Voting, petitioning) Te ao Māori perspectives prioritize collective responsibility, whakapapa, and rangatiratanga, where civic live is grounded in ancestral ties, kaitiakitanga and mana whenua. These frameworks influence engagement styles: deliberation vs consensus, rights vs obligations, individual vs relational identity. Blending them requires respect for different ontologies, and meaningful power-sharing mechanisms.

To what extent is social enterprise a meaningful form of civic engagement in Aotearoa New Zealand?

Social enterprise can address systemic inequities by using market tools for social aims (e.g. the Cookie Project), offering sustainable alternatives to charity or government dependency. However, its effectiveness depends on genuine community involvement, ethical governance, and resistance to profit-over-purpose drift. In Aotearoa, social enterprise intersects with Māori concepts of collective wellbeing and manaakitanga, but it must avoid tokenism and align with tino rangatiratanga to be truly transformative.