Waha | Waha

about ABOUT

ABOUT about

about ABOUT

whAT IS WAhA?

Civics education explores how people work together to make Aotearoa a more inclusive, caring, prosperous and cohesive society.

Created alongside educators, young people and legal experts, Waha is designed to engage students in civics education in a positive, motivating, and uplifting way.

It is built around the idea that young people will engage in civic life if they think it's relevant and their voice will make a difference. Waha examines this idea through the lens of children’s rights – inviting young people to see themselves as effective agents of positive change. By exploring how they can make a difference, young people are introduced to the civic systems that shape their world.

A fully modular programme, Waha provides the flexibility and choice to integrate content into any civics and citizenship programme. While primarily targeted at year 9s and 10s, the content is flexible and rich enough to stretch across intermediate and senior levels.

Why is it needed?

Waha comes at a time when democracy is in decline, and civic engagement is falling in Aotearoa and around the world.

A time when we need our systems and institutions to function well, so we can meet the challenges faced by our communities such as climate change, online harm, Artificial Intelligence, and shifting demographics.

We hope to harness the transformative power of education to help stem the tide. We hope to do this in two ways:

By sharing with educators the specialist knowledge legal professionals have about our democratic system. Our hope is that, armed with this knowledge, educators can teach civics with more confidence, and with a deeper understanding of the reasons, values and building blocks behind a caring, inclusive and cohesive Aoteaora.

By pulling students into the topic through fun, engaging material that is attractive to young people and relevant to their daily lives. Educators and young people both told us it is hard for students to see the relevance of civics. The design approach and core programme are designed to break down this barrier.

What does Waha mean?

In reo Māori, “waha” can mean gateway, opening, or passage. In this context, Waha serves as an initial spark many students need to begin their civics journey. It uses playful design, games, and youth-focused content to make the subject engaging and relevant to them.

As a verb, “waha” means rise up. In this context, Waha serves as a gateway for active participation in the task we all share in making Aotearoa the society young people are entitled to expect – inclusive, caring, prosperous and cohesive.

The name emerged through conversations with rangatahi, designers and advisors. A small word with lots of meaning, Waha leans into the way young people play with words to create meaning, identify and youthful culture.

Who is behind it?

Waha was developed by YouthLaw Aotearoa. We are the only legal service in Aotearoa exclusively for children and young people.

For 40 years we have applied a children’s rights approach to our work. We see every day the harm that can be caused to communities when legal protections and the legal system start to fail.

But we didn’t make it alone.

The bulk of the funds were provided by The Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation (a philanthropic trust specialising in legal research and legal education). Auckland Airport Community Trust and YouthLaw Aotearoa also contributed funds.

Our co-design team was made up of seven young leaders from South Auckland and five teaching professionals from across Tāmaki Makaurau. Over 50 people and organisations have contributed ideas and resources along the way.

How was it made?

We started chatting about civics education two years ago.

From there, YouthLaw gathered a small group of justice sector stakeholders and young people who we knew were interested in talking about civics and how to make the world a better place. This group met in November 2024, and again as a slightly enlarged group in 2025, setting our values and key parameters for everything that followed.

Using a codesign methodology, and through a dozen co-design hui, Waha was teased into life. The process explored the needs of two user groups: young people and educators. We explored how to make civics relevant and engaging to young people, but also how to make it something which meets the diverse needs of different teachers around the country.

OuR pARtneRS

Bringing Waha to life has been a team effort, with many organisations playing an important part. Many thanks and big aroha to the following organisations!