Using Whakatauki in our schools (proverbs) 

 

Whakatauki (Māori proverbs) 

 

Whakatauki play a large role in Māori culture. They are used as a reference point in speeches and also as guidelines spoken to others day by day. It is a poetic form of the Māori language often merging historical events, or holistic perspectives, and connecting to the environment, with underlying messages which are extremely influential in Māori society. 

 

Whakatauki can be used in a variety of ways in Steiner/Waldorf schools.  They can be used to: 

 

• provide another dimension to curriculum content and delivery 

• add another dimension to the general motif that sits behind a particular year group 

• enrich the content of particular Main Lesson Themes 

 

Whakatauki can be sourced from a variety of places.  Each region have whakatauki that are unique to them and once schools have developed a positive relationship with the tangata whenua of their areas, they should be able to source whakatauki which pertain directly to the place where their school sit. 

 

The list below only provides a small sample of possible whakatauki that could be linked to different Main Lessons and class levels.  For this reason these guidelines provide a list of possible whakatauki that can be linked with particular main lessons or class levels. 

 

It should be noted that whakatauki can be interpreted differently.  This allows each individual teacher the freedom to work with these in a variety of ways. 

 

 

Possible Whakatauki Which Could be used at Different Levels 

 

Class 1 

He waka eke noa.  

A waka which we are all in with no exception. 

 

 

Class 2 

Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa. 

Let us keep close together, not far apart. 

 

 

Class 3 

Te Amorangi ki mua, te hāpai o ki muri. 

The priest leads while the food carrier follows. The ark always led the Israelites. 

 

He kino te tokomaha ki te kainga a kai, tēnā, kia tu ki te mahi ka aha hoki? 

It is inconvenient to feed many mouths, but turn mouths into hands, what then? 

 

Class 4 

He kākano ahau i ruia mai i Rangiatea. 

I am a seed which was sewn in the heavens of Rangiatea 

A famous proverb which shows the importance of your genealogy and your culture. 

He tangata takahi manuhiri, he marae puehu. 

The marae is disreputable when guests are not respected. 

 

He tao kī, e kore e taea. 

A shaft can be warded off, a shaft of the tongue cannot. 

 

 

Class 5 

He mahi ta te āta noho, e kī ana wheke. (Indian Main Lesson) 

To sit still is to do something, so says wheke. 

 

He harore rangi tahi. 

It’s like a mushroom that lives but a day. 

 

 

Class 6 

Tama tū, tama ora, 

tama noho, tama mate. 

You get out of it, what you put in. 

 

Mā whero mā pango ka oti ai te mahi. 

With red and black the work will be complete. 

 

This refers to co-operation where if everyone does their part, the work will be complete. The colours refer to the traditional kōwhaiwhai patterns on the meeting house. 

 

Moe ana te mata hī tuna, ara ana te ki taua. 

Eel catchers may sleep but sentries do not. 

 

 

Class 7 

Patua i tahatu o te rangi, waiho tangata haere wa, kia haere na, kia rongo ai i te kōrero.  

Strike at distance, leave alone casual way-farer so that you may hear news. 

 

Puraho maku, kai ngaure o mahi. 

To catch fish you must place your basket in the water. 

 

Class 8 

Ka pu te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi. 

The old net is cast aside, while the new net goes fishing. 

 

 

Class 9 

Kei hopu tōu ringa ki te aka tāepa, engari kia mau ki te aka matua. 

Cling to the main vine, not the loose one. 

 

 

Class 10 

Ruia taitea kia tū ko taikaka anake. 

Cast off the sap, leave only the heart. 

 

 

Class 11 

Pai tū, pai hinga, nā wai, nā oti. 

One may work properly, another may act, yet the sum total is the completion of the work. 

 

 

Class 12 

Whaia te iti kahurangi ki te tuohu koe me he maunga teitei. 

Pursue excellence – should you stumble, let it be to a lofty mountain 

 

Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nōna te ngahere, 

Ko te manu e kai ana i te matauranga, nōna te Ao. 

The bird that partakes of the miro berry reigns in the forest, 

The bird that partakes of the power of knowledge has access to the world. 

 

E tama, tangata i akona i te whare, te tūranga ki te marae tau ana. 

Because you were taught at home, you shape well in public.