Waka Voyaging True or False (Grade 3)
Free printable true or false worksheet for Grade 3 on Polynesian voyaging and the arrival of Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand, with every fact checked against NZ History and Te Ara.
Grade 3 · History worksheet
Name
Date
History
Waka Voyaging and Arrival: True or False
Read each statement about the arrival of Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand and circle True or False.
- 1.True or False: In Māori tradition, Hawaiki is the homeland the voyagers set out from.
- a) True
- b) False
- 2.True or False: New Zealand's first permanent settlements were established between about 1250 and 1300.
- a) True
- b) False
- 3.True or False: Pacific navigators used the stars, winds and ocean swells to find their way.
- a) True
- b) False
- 4.True or False: Aotearoa is a Māori name for New Zealand.
- a) True
- b) False
- 5.True or False: The ancestors of Māori sailed to Aotearoa New Zealand from East Polynesia.
- a) True
- b) False
- 6.True or False: Scientists use evidence such as radiocarbon dating to estimate when people first settled New Zealand.
- a) True
- b) False
- 7.True or False: The voyagers travelled in small rafts that could never leave sight of land.
- a) True
- b) False
Made with ChalkBee · chalkbee.com
Accuracy and sources
These references support the historical wording and answer key on this worksheet.
- Te Ara: Māori arrival and settlement — dates the first permanent settlements to about 1250-1300 on radiocarbon, pollen, DNA and genealogical evidence, with voyagers arriving from East Polynesia
- NZ History: Pacific voyaging and discovery — describes deliberate voyages of exploration navigated by stars, winds and ocean currents rather than accidental drift
- Te Ara: Canoe traditions — records the waka traditions through which many iwi trace their origins, including the tradition of the explorer Kupe