Life, Body, and Health Systems | Ngā Pūnaha Ora

From genes to systems that keep us healthy

Your body is a network of feedback loops — genes, transport, immunity, and nerves all respond to change.

Wero — the big question

How do biological systems — from genes to ecosystems — maintain health and respond to change?

What you will investigate

Curriculum strands

Technology strands

1–2 termsSupport level: Teacher support when you need it

Why do you look like you do — and how much of that is written in DNA versus shaped by the world around you?

Understanding variation helps communities protect biodiversity and make sense of health conditions shaped by genes and environment.

You will model how genes and environment shape traits, using class data and a local species case study.

Every cell needs supplies — but how do materials reach cells deep inside a plant or your body?

Transport systems explain how aquaponics, health, and ecosystems move water, nutrients, and oxygen — knowledge used in food and restoration work.

You will compare plant and human transport, run a heart-rate investigation, and link results to systems thinking.

Your body fights invaders and keeps internal conditions steady — until something disrupts the balance.

Communities depend on clear public-health communication about disease, immunity, and how bodies stay in balance.

You will classify diseases, model immunity and homeostasis, and interpret glucose data with ethical reasoning.

A tap on the knee, a blink in bright light — your nervous system responds before you finish thinking.

Nervous systems and sensors share design logic — understanding reflexes helps students critique both biology and technology.

You will diagram reflex arcs, measure reaction time, and compare biological and technological sensors.

Maker pathways connect your evidence to a real prototype or build.

Field markerLaser cut
Mark monitoring sites reliably across sessions
Consistency between visits makes population or count evidence comparable.
Insect hotel segmentLaser cut
Prototype habitat inserts informed by trap data
Evidence about which guilds appeared suggests what materials matter first.
Field markerLaser cut
Mark monitoring sites reliably across sessions
Consistency between visits makes population or count evidence comparable.