Wakatipu High School
Social Sciences
Social Sciences : Te ao tangata
What are the social sciences about?
Unuhia te rito o te harakeke kei whea te kōmako e kō?
Whakatairangitia – rere ki uta, rere ki tai;
Ui mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o te ao,
Māku e kī atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata!
Remove the heart of the flax bush and where will the kōmako sing?
Proclaim it to the land, proclaim it to the sea;
Ask me, “What is the greatest thing in the world?”
I will reply, “It is people, people, people!”
Social sciences creates a curiosity about and respect for places, people, cultures, and systems. Ākonga learn to contribute, participate, and take positive action as informed, ethical, and empathetic citizens with a concern for the wellbeing of communities and a commitment to a fair society for all. Learning in social sciences aims to help ākonga thrive in the diverse communities and environments of Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond. This includes understanding the mutual responsibilities to Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi by both tangata whenua and tauiwi as they live together in relationships that promote respect for one another, tikanga, and the natural environment.
Aotearoa New Zealand histories is part of The New Zealand Curriculum learning in the Year 9 and 10 social sciences learning area.
Year 9 & Year 10 Courses
Social Science courses are designed to introduce students to important concepts that help students make sense of and understand not only the world around them today, but the world they will experience in the future. It helps to prepare them to become effective contributing citizens of the 21st Century. As well as exploring these concepts students will also learn and practice the skills needed to become critical thinkers who are able to communicate their knowledge and understanding.
All students must complete the three compulsory units. Two of these units must be completed in Year 9 and the other 5ASOC1 must be completed in Year 10.
- 5SOC1 – Social Studies (Compulsory Year 9)
- 5SOC2- Social Studies (Compulsory Year 9)
- 5ASOC1 – Social Studies (Compulsory Year 10)
Students may also select the following courses in either Year 9 or Year 10.
- 5SOC3 – Social Studies: Strengthening Geography and History (Optional Year 9 and 10)
Year 10 students also have the following options available:
- 5ACOM: Commerce (Optional Year 10)
- 5ACTH: Critical Thinking in the Humanities (Optional Year 10)
It is highly recommended that students who are wishing to study Social Sciences at Level 1 (Year 11) and beyond, or those who wish to keep this pathway open and available to them, select at least one of the optional courses available.
2025 Course Options
Optional courses will only run subject to a minimum number of students selecting the option.
Course Options in BOLD are compulsory.
Courses in italics are not available for selection. Students will be counselled into these courses.
YEAR 9 | YEAR 10 | YEAR 11 NCEA LEVEL 1 | YEAR 12 NCEA LEVEL 2 | YEAR 13 NCEA LEVEL 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences Te ao tangata | |||||
5SOC1 – Social Studies (Compulsory) | 5ASOC1 – Social Studies (Compulsory) 5ACOM – Commerce | 6COM – Commerce | 7BUS – Business Studies | 8BUS - Business Studies | |
| 7ECO – Economics | 8ECO –Economics | ||||
5SOC3 – Social Studies: Exploring Geography and History | 6GEO – Geography | 7GEO – Geography | 8GEO – Geography | ||
5ACTH – Critical Thinking in the Humanities | 6HIS – History | 7HIS – History | 8HIS – History | ||
7TOU – Tourism 7PSY – Psychology | 8TOU – Tourism 8PSY – Psychology | ||||
Course options in this Learning Area
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