Social Sciences

In the Social Sciences, students explore how societies work and how they themselves can participate and take action as critical, informed, and responsible citizens.

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!”

Nā, Meri Ngāroto, Te Aupōuri (1830s)

What are the Social Sciences about?

The Social Sciences learning area is about how societies work and how people can participate as critical, active, informed, and responsible citizens. Contexts are drawn from the past, present, and future and from places within and beyond New Zealand.

Why study the Social Sciences?

Through the Social Sciences, students develop the knowledge and skills to enable them to: better understand, participate in, and contribute to the local, national, and global communities in which they live and work; engage critically with societal issues; and evaluate the sustainability of alternative social, economic, political, and environmental practices.

Students explore the unique bicultural nature of New Zealand society that derives from the Treaty of Waitangi. They learn about people, places, cultures, histories, and the economic world, within and beyond New Zealand. They develop understandings about how societies are organised and function and how the ways in which people and communities respond and are shaped by different perspectives, values, and viewpoints. As they explore how others see themselves, students clarify their own identities in relation to their particular heritages and contexts.

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Subjects in this Faculty

Curator, Library Assistant, Tertiary Lecturer, Mining Engineer, Survey Technician, Outdoor Recreation Guide/Instructor, Surveyor, Fishing Skipper, Meteorologist, Mine/Quarry Manager, Driller, Geologist, Environmental Scientist, Environmental Engineer, Ranger, Landscape Architect, Geophysicist, Policy Analyst, Artistic Director, Archivist, Police Officer, Historian, Barrister, Trainer, Communications Professional, Solicitor, Corrections Officer, Judge, Economist, Records Adviser, Human Resources Adviser, Health Promoter, Librarian, Community Development Worker, Probation Officer, Youth Worker, Social Worker, Psychotherapist, Case Manager, Career Consultant, Counsellor, Psychologist, Biosecurity Officer, Marine Biologist, Architect, Film and Video Editor, Ranger, Geospatial Specialist, Tertiary Lecturer, Recreation Co-ordinator, Youth Worker, Secondary School Teacher, Actor, Art Director (Film, Television or Stage), Historian, Artist, Counsellor, Urban/Regional Planner, Elected Government Representative, Emergency Management Officer, Civil Engineering Technician/Draughtsperson, Aeronautical Engineer, Aeroplane Pilot, Agricultural/Horticultural Scientist, Mechanical Engineering Technician, Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, Product Assembler, Software Developer, Chemist, Army Officer, Sound Technician,