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The transcripts of all the videos are in the speaker's notes in te reo Māori and English.

Te ‘Mana atua’ i Te Whāriki

Transcripts for the videos in te reo Māori and English

Slide 5

• Transcript

  Wawaro:

  He aha ki a koe te hanga o tēnei mea te ‘mana atua’?

  What do you believe ‘mana atua’ looks like?

  Lynette:

  He pātai pai tērā. Ki a au nei, ko ō pūmanawa, ko ō āhuatanga ka heke mai i ō tūpuna, i  i te kāhui atua - ko te taiao, ko te āhua o tō whakapono rānei i tō ki roto i a koe ētahi āhuatanga motuhake. Ā, ko ērā āhuatanga motuhake, ka rerekē nā te wheako, nā te taiao, nā te āhua o tō whānau. Nā reira, ko te mahi nui ko te, ko te, hāpai i te mana atua i roto kē i te tangata. Ā, ko te tō mai i ērā āhuatanga kia puawai, kia puta. Nā reira, koirā noa iho taku whakaaro mō te mana atua me te āhuatanga ki ā tātou tamariki. Ā ko te mahi a te kaiako he tō mai i ērā pūmanawa, i ērā mana āhua ake i roto i te tamaiti kia tipu, kia rea.

  That’s a good question. I think that your natural talents and how you are has come from your ancestors, from the deities – it’s things like environment or beliefs that have been planted inside of you that are unique. Those things that are unique are different based on your experiences, your surroundings and your family. So the significant work is in the elevating of the mana atua that already exists in people. And it’s about drawing those things out so that they are seen and can blossom. So that’s what I think mana atua is and what it is in our children. It’s the role of the educator to surface those natural talents and the uniqueness of a child so that they may grow and flourish.

Slide 6

• Transcript

  Wawaro:

  Nā reira, i runga i ērā kōrero, i runga hoki i ō, i ō wheako whakaako i roto i ngā tau, ka pēhea tō mārama me tō tautohu i te mana atuatanga o ō tamariki?

  So with that in mind, and given your experiences in educating over the years, how do you see and identify what ‘mana atuatanga’ is in your children?

  Ki a au nei, ko te mea tuatahi ko te whakarite me te tiaki i te whanaungatanga tuatahi a te tamaiti. Nā reira, ko te whakawhiti kōrero ki ngā mātua, ā, ki ngā kaumātua, te ao a te tamaiti, mā reira e kitea ai koe i te āhua mana āhua ake a te tamaiti. Nā reira, he mea nui kia pono te whakawhanaunga, ā, kia wātea mai te mātua ki te tuku mai i ana whakaaro mō tana tamaiti, ko ia te mea tuatahi ki a au. Kātahi ka mā te āta mātakitaki, mā te whakarite i te taiao, mā te tuku i ō mātauranga ka puare mai ētahi āhuatanga, ka puta mai ngā pūmanawa i te tamaiti. Nā reira, he mea nui te whakawhiti kōrero ki te whānau kātahi ka mātakitaki, ka arahina ia i roto i āna mahi i mua i tō tautohu ‘koirā tō pūmanawa, koirā tō āhuatanga ake’. He tukanga ka whāia e te kaiako kia hāpai i ērā āhuatanga i roto i te tamaiti.

  I think that the first thing to do is to prepare and look after the initial relationship with a child. That means talking with their parents and their elders; it’s knowing their world. From there you will see what their mana āhua ake looks like. So there’s great value in having open relationships so that parents can share thoughts about their child which I believe is where you start. Then by watching them and preparing their surroundings and sharing your knowledge with them things will reveal themselves and the natural talents of the child will surface. So it’s really important to have conversations with whānau and then observe and guide the child before you identify what their natural talents are, what their uniqueness is. It’s a process that an educator would follow in order to help surface those things that are within the child.

Slide 7

• Transcript

  Tere:

  Kia ora tātou ko Tere Gilbert toku ingoa. He uri ahau nō Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Kahungunu hoki. I tipu ake ahau ki Tūrangi, waenganui te motu. E toru tekau ma rima tau neke atu pea e mahi ana ahau ki roto i ngā Kohanga Reo. Inaianei ki roto i ngā Puna Reo, ngā Puna Kohungahunga o Te Kōhao. E rua ngā whare e noho tahi ana ki Enderly, Kirikiriroa. Te Puna Reo o te Kōhao me Te Kōhao Kohungahunga. Mauri ora kia tātou.

  Greetings, my name is Tere Gilbert.  I am a descendant of Te Ātiawa and Ngāti Kahungunu. I grew up in Tūrangi, the centre of the island. I’ve worked in Kōhanga Reo for about thirty five years. I now work in Puna Reo, namely the Puna Reo of Te Kōhao.  There are two centres in Enderly, Hamilton. One is Te Puna Reo o te Kōhao and the other is Te Kōhao Kōhungahunga. Blessings to all.

  Ma mātou ngā kaiako e akiaki, e tiaki i te mana o te tamaiti.  Kua heke mai tana mana i ōna mātua tūpuna, i ngā Atua hoki. Nō reira koina hoki te Mana atua ki ahau. Kaore ia i tae mai ko ia anake. Kei runga i ōna pokohiwi ngā tūpuna, te whānau whānui hoki nō reira kia kaha tātou.

  We as teachers will encourage and safeguard the power of the child. Their power is inherited from their ancestors, from the Gods. That is what Mana atua means to me. The child is never alone. They carry their ancestors on their shoulders, and their families.  We’ve got this.

Slide 8

• Transcript

  Wawaro:

  Nā, i a koe e tū ana hei kaiako i pēhea tō manaaki i te ‘mana atuatanga’ o ngā tamariki?

  When you were teaching how did you care for the ‘mana atuatanga’ of the children?

  Lynette:

  He nui ngā rautaki ka whāia e au. Mehemea e whakaaro ana ki te mana atuatanga, ki te mana āhua ake a te tamaiti a, he nui kē ā tātou kōrero, waiata, pūrākau hei hāpai i ērā āhuatanga a ngā tamariki. Nā reira, ko te mea matua ki a au, a ko te whakatauira i ngā mahi a ngā atua mā te karakia, mā te waiata, mā te pūrākau ka tuwhera mai tērā ao ki te tamaiti. Nā reira he mea nui te tuku i ngā mātauranga a ngā tūpuna kia whai wāhi, kia whai hononga i waenganui i a koe hei kaiako kia kite te tamaiti e ora ana ērā kōrero i roto i a koe i te tuatahi. Kātahi, mā te tuku i tērā wairua, i tērā, i te hā o ngā kōrero, a, ka rongo ai te tamaiti i tērā ao i roto i a rātou.

  I engaged a few strategies. If I was to think about mana atuatanga and the mana āhua ake of a child I know that there are a lot of stories and songs to help surface that in children. So, I think that the foremost thing to do is to show them what our atua did through the medium of karakia, of song, of storytelling which opens that realm up to a child. So it’s vital that we share the knowledge of our ancestors so that children have access and that they can relate to you as their teacher and they know that those things live inside of you, first and foremost. The child will then see those things inside of them that you share openly and freely with them.

Slide 10

• Transcript

  Wawaro:

  I a tāua e kōrero ana mō te āhua e kīia nei ko ‘Mana atua’ ana, ko tana, ana kupu whakataki ko ēnei “Ko tēnei te whakatipuranga o te tamaiti i roto i tōna oranga nui, i runga hoki i tōna mana motuhake, mana atuatanga.” Nā ko te oranga nui, tāku, tāku e rapu nei. He tikanga, he tauira rānei o te oranga nui i roto i ngā whare kōhungahunga?

  As we talk about what ‘Mana atua’ and that it’s, “Ko tēnei te whakatipuranga o te tamaiti i roto i tōna oranga nui, i runga hoki i tōna mana motuhake, mana atuatanga”, I wanted to ask about ‘oranga nui’. Do you know of any tikanga or examples of oranga nui in early years services?

  Lynette:

  I a tāua e kōrero ana kua kapo ake au i ētahi kōrero nā Te Heikōkō mō te ‘Tuakiri’. Ko ēnei o ngā, ngā anga e whakatakoto i tētahi ara hei whāinga mā tātou kia tō mai i ngā āhuatanga Māori, ngā tirohanga Māori hei hāpai i ā tātou tamariki kia whai i te oranga nui.

  Nā reira ki a au nei ko te mea nui ko te horopaki o tō kaupapa, ko te tūhononga ki ngā kōrero motuhake o tō hapū, o tō, tō rohe e ārahi i a koe ki te whai i te rautaki e tika ana mā tō kaupapa. Nā reira ko ērā o ngā kaupapa e kōrerotia nei e tāua, ko ngā, ko te mea nui kia mōhio te tamati he ora i roto i tana mana atuatanga, ā, he, he hua i roto i tana whai i te mana atuatanga. Nā reira koirā noa iho tāku, ko, ko tērā mana motuhake me te mana atuatanga he mea hāpai i te oranga nui. Nā reira ko te rangahau me te kimi i ngā kōrero hāngai tētahi mahi nui mā te pouako, ā, he mea mahi tahi hoki mā te whānau.

  Whilst we’ve been talking I have been thinking about something Te Heikōkō said about ‘Tuakiri’. This particular framework lays down a pathway for us to follow so that we can bring the uniqueness of things Māori and of Māori perspectives to help our children to know how to ‘keep themselves healthy and caring for themselves’.

  So I believe that the context of your kaupapa, the connections to the local hapū and regional knowledge should guide you to find the best strategies for your kaupapa. So those are the things that we have been talking about. It’s important for a child to know that there is wellness and benefit in knowing their mana atuatanga. So I’m saying that mana motuhake and mana atuatanga are the things that elevate ‘oranga nui’. Looking for information and finding things out that relate is something important for the teacher to do with whānau alongside.

Slide 12

• Transcript

  Wawaro:

  Nō, reira kua kitea e koe tētahi tino tauira o te hāpai i te mana atuatanga o te tamaiti i roto i āu mahi, i tō kāinga ake rānei?

  Ok, so have you seen any really good examples of mana atuatanga in children in your work or your home?

  Lynette:

  Āe, i a au e kōrero ana mō tō mōhio ki a koe anō me tō kawe i tō mana atuatanga he tauira tino nui tērā ki te tamaiti, tō kawe i ō pūmanawa me tō.. te āhua o tō mauri, tō manu tō mana, tō tapu. Mā reira e, e, tino ako ai te tamaiti, mā te titiro, mā te whakarongo ki a koe me āu mahi e kitea ai i tō rātou mana atuatanga. Nā reira ko te hāpai nui ki a au, hei kaiako, ko te mōhio he aha aku pūmanawa, he aha taku koha ki ēnei tamariki? Kia pono te āhua o te tūhonotanga ki ngā atua. Ehara i te mea ki te kimikimi noa iho, kei te pānui noa iho i ngā kōrero engari kei te ora ērā āhuatanga i roto i a au. Nā reria, mā tērā tauira e kitea ai ngā tamariki ā rātou pānga ki te ao Māori, e tuwhera ana tēnei ao ki a au hoki.

  Yes. When I talk about knowing yourself and the way you carry your own mana atuatanga I see it as a great example to a child. The way you manage your natural talents, your mauri, your mana and your tapu. That’s how a child will learn - by seeing what you do and by listening to you they will see their mana atuatanga. So I think that the greatest thing I can do as a teacher is to know my talents and to know what my gift is to the children. The connection between self and gods needs to be genuine. It can’t be ingenuine. It can’t be that all I do is read the words, it is that those things live inside of me. It’s through that example that children will see their connection to te ao Māori and that that world is open to me too.

Slide 13

• Transcript

  Tere:

  Ko te tamaiti te putake. Tētahi o ngā uaratanga o mātou, i roto i tana wā whakatau ki te wāhi ako, puna reo ahakoa ki hea. Kia tino mōhio ia ki ngā kaiako ma te noho tahi o ētahi kaiako, tērā pea tahi rua toru noa iho i te tuatahi. Kia rongo ia i te wairua o te whare me te aroha o aua kaiako ka tere tau ia ki roto i te whare. Ka rongo hoki ngā, pea ka rongo ngā kaiako i tana hotaka mō te rā kaua ko te tamaiti i rongo i te hōtaka o te wāhi ako. Ma tērā ka tere whakatau ā kua rite te hinengaro, te wairua, tērā pea ko te tinana hoki ki te ako. Āe, tēra taku tauira.

  The child is at the centre of everything. One challenge for us is during their settling time, regardless of where they are. The child must get to know the teacher and environment, maybe one two or three kaiako in the first instance. So that the child can feel the essence and aroha within the environment and therefore settle well in the setting. The kaiako will co-design the day with the child, not instruct the child.  By doing that the child will often settle quicker, their mind, spirit and possibly their body. Ready and open to learn. Yes, that is my example.

  Hana:

  Ko Hana Rangitonga ahau. He uri o Ngāti Maniapoto me Ngāti Ruanui, engari tipu ake au ki Whaingaroa. E mahi ana au ki te Puna Reo.

  I am Hana Rangitonga. I am from Ngāti Maniapoto and Ngāti Ruanui but I grew up in Whaingaroa. I am working in a Puna Reo.

  Ko tētahi tauira ko ngā pūrākau me ngā waiata. Ka haere hoki mātou ki roto i te ngahere. Arā, ka tāea ngā tamariki te hono i ngā mōhiotanga mo te wao nui a Tāne, Rongomatāne, Papatūānuku ka pā atu ki ēra momo mea. Ka tāea rātou te kite i ēra āhuatanga i ngā kōrero kei roto i ngā waiata i ngā pūrākau, kei te pā e rātou. Ki reira hoki ka māia ake te tamaiti, ka tāea rātou te whakamātau i o rātou mōhitanga, i to rātou tinana, he mahi rangahau ki reira. Āe, ka kite i a rātou e whakapakari i roto i ngā mea mo te taiao, me o rātou mōhiotanga ngā hononga ki ngā hoa ka haere tahi rātou. Āe, ka kite rātou e tipu ake. He pai hoki mo te wairua. Koira tētahi tauira kei te Puna Reo.

  One example are the stories and songs. We go into the forest and the children can connect their understandings of the forest, cultivation and the earth (reference to Atua Maori Tāne Mahuta, Rongomatāne, Papatūānuku) they can actually touch them. It is here that they make connections between what they read and sing to what they can actually touch with their hands. They gain confidence from making these connections.  They can put theories to test with their bodies and do their own research. Yes, I see their understanding of the environment grow as does their knowledge, and they get to socialise with their peers. Their learning grows considerably. It is good for their spirit. That is one example here at Puna Reo.

Slide 15

• Transcript

  Wawaro:

  I roto i ngā mahi whakarite marau mō ngā whare kōhungahunga me wha, me whai wāhi ngā reo o te whānau, o te hapori tae atu ki te mana whenua, te iwi rānei, i ētahi wā. Ana, me whakaaro hoki ki te mana atuatanga o aua kāhui tāngata, ana, ka pēhea, ā, he rautaki āu kua whakamahia i ngā tau hei tō mai i ngā whānau, i ngā hapori, i a wai rānei ki roto i tērā mahi kia tino mārama te kite i te mana atuatanga o te tamaiti, te mana atuatanga o ōna tāngata, me ōna hapori, ōna whānau tae atu hoki ki te mana atuatanga o te whare?

  When developing curriculum the voices of whānau, the community, the mana whenua and iwi need to be included. So it’s right to think about the mana atuatanga of those groups of people and so I wonder how. Are there any strategies that you have used over the years to bring whānau, communities and whomever else into the fold so that the mana atuatanga of a child, their people, their communities, their whānau and the centre can be seen clearly?

  Lynette:

  I a au e whakaaro ana ki te horopaki o te ao kōhungahunga, ā, he mea nui kia mōhio koe ki te pepehā me kōrero o taua takiwā. Nā reira i a au e mahi ana ki rohe kē, ki whenua kē, ko te tirotiro ki te taiao tētahi o ngā tino akoranga nui a ngā tamariki. Nā reira ko tētahi o ngā kōrero a Wally Penetito e mea ana [ko tō] ka tīmata ki ō waewae, ki te wāhi e tū ai koe. Nā reira ko taku ko taku rautaki mā te whānau kia mōhio, ‘e haere mai ana koe ki tēnei whare, he whare tēnei e hāpai ana i tēnei hapori, i tēnei iwi, i tēnei hapū’. Mā reira e rongo ai te whānau tō rātou haepapa, tō rātou kawe i tēnei kaupapa nui. He mea mahi tahi, he mea mahi tahi kia tutuki pai ai tērā rongo, tērā rongo i te mana atuatanga. Ehara i te mea e taea e te tangata kotahi tērā te, te kawe. Nā reira kia mōhio ai koe i roto i tō horopaki whakaako, ko te taunga o te tamaiti e mea ana kua mōhio ia ki tōna wāhi, ki tōna wāhi i roto i te kaupapa, ki tōna tūhonotanga ki te wāhi, ki te taiao, nā wai tērā whenua, ko wai ngā tāngata o tērā whenua.

  When I think about the early years’ context it’s really important that you know the landmarks and the stories of the area. So when I’m working in other regions one of the greatest learnings for children is about taking in their environment. Wally Penetito says ‘it starts with your feet, with where you are standing’. So for me and how I work with whānau is to make sure they know that they are entering the centre, the centre that is supporting their communities, their iwi and their hapū. It’s at that point that whānau understand their responsibility and their role in the centre. It’s about working together to feel the mana atuatanga. No one person is solely responsible for that. So knowing your teaching context, how well settled a child is in knowing their place, their place in the kaupapa, their connection to the place, the environment, the land, and the people of the land.

  He mahi nui kia, kia pono te whakawhanaunga ki, ki te hapū me te iwi i ngā rohe e noho ai koe, heoi, he maha ngā hua ka hoki mai ki tō kaupapa. Nā reira ko tētahi rautaki māmā noa iho nei ko te mōhio ki ō whānau. Mehemea he whānau nō te takiwā, ka māmā te haere atu ki a rātou ki te kōrero he aha tō mōhio ki tō wāhi. Mehemea he, he koha i a rātou i taea te hoatu ki tō kaupapa, ki tō whare, he wāhi ako mā ngā tamariki. Ki te kore, ko te ara roa engari he ara tino whaihua, ko te haere atu ki ngā tāngata o te hapū, o te iwi ki te tuitui i ērā hononga kia, kia mārō te heke o ērā kōrero i roto i tō kaupapa. He mea kua kitea e au i roto i ngā tau ki te kore e pono tērā tūhonotanga ki te whenua, ki te taiao, ki te whānau, hapū, iwi rānei, e kore e ora i roto i tō kaupapa. Nā reira he mea nui, he mea whakaharahara te kawenga a te kaiako otirā te kāhui kaiako kia tūhono ki te whānau, kia mārama ai, he mahi nui mā te katoa kaua mā te upoko o tō whare kōhungahunga, tō puna reo rānei engari, mā te katoa tēnei mahi e kawe.

  It’s hard work making sure that the relationships with the hapū and iwi in the region you are living are genuine. The benefits to the kaupapa will be plentiful. A really simple strategy is getting to know your whānau. If they are whānau from the region it should be easy enough to approach them to talk about what they know about their region. Maybe they have something to give your kaupapa, your centre, your learning hub for the children. Should that not be an option, you may need to follow a longer yet extremely fruitful path where you go to the hapū and iwi of the region and build those connections so that the stories of the region are disseminated well to your kaupapa. Over the years I have seen that if your connections to the land, the environment, to whānau, hapū and iwi are not genuine then your kaupapa will suffer. So the role of all the teachers is to connect with whānau and to know that there is much to do and it should not be left to the centre lead alone, it should be carried by everyone.

Slide 17

• Transcript

  Wawaro:

  Tēnā koe Lynette, tēnā whakaotihia tēnei rerenga nē, “Ko taku mana atuatanga, he...”

  Tēnā koe Lynette, complete this sentence, “My mana atuatanga is…”

  Lynette:

  Taku mana atuatanga he… he mana whakaheke, he mana whakatipu, he mana tuku, ā, ka ahu mai ēnei kōrero i a Katarina Te Heikōkō Mataira heoi, i a au e whakaaro ana ki ērā kupu, ko te mana atuatanga he āhuatanga ka tauwhiro i a koe ahakoa āu mahi, ahakoa āu wheako. Ko te maharatanga ka heke mai koe i ngā tūpuna, ā, kei te whakatipu koe i ērā o ngā mātauranga ka heke mai i a rātou, ā, ko tō kawe i a koe anō, ko tō mahi ki te tuku i ērā mātauranga.

  My mana atuatanga is inherited mana, is acquired mana and is bequeathed mana. This phrasing in Māori has come from Katarina Te Heikōkō so when I think about those phrases I think that mana atuatanga is something that protects you no matter what you are doing or experiencing. It’s about knowing that you have descended from your ancestors and that you are growing the knowledge that has come from them. It’s also about how you carry yourself and how you pass that knowledge on.

  Wawaro:

  Ā, tino pai. Tēnā koe i ēnā kōrero otirā tēnā tāua i ngā kōrero kua puta i tēnei rā mō te mana atuatanga o ā tātou tamariki, tēnā rā koe.

  Ā, that’s great. Thank you for what you have shared and what we’ve shared today about the mana atuatanga of our children. Tēnā rā koe.

  Lynette:

  Tēnā koe