Course outline
Module 1
Module 1: Whakapapa and Identity
Whakapapa and Identity
Knowledge check
Q1. In Māori culture, what does the term 'whakapapa' primarily refer to?
- A. A traditional greeting used when meeting elders
- B. The genealogical connections that link people to their ancestors, the land, and the wider natural world ✓
- C. A type of carved meeting house used for community gatherings
- D. A form of sung poetry performed at funerals
Why: Whakapapa means genealogy or lineage. It is far more than a family tree: it connects people to their tūpuna (ancestors), to their iwi and hapū, and to the natural world, including mountains, rivers, and the wider cosmos in Māori creation traditions.
Q2. Which element of identity is most closely tied to whakapapa in Māori thought?
- A. Personal wealth and occupation
- B. Academic qualifications
- C. Place of residence in a city
- D. Belonging to iwi, hapū, and whānau through ancestral descent ✓
Why: Māori identity is rooted in descent from ancestors, expressed through affiliation with iwi (tribes), hapū (sub-tribes), and whānau (extended family). Whakapapa is the basis for knowing where one stands in these relationships.
Q3. What does the common saying 'Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au' express?
- A. A warning about the dangers of rivers
- B. A belief that people and the natural world, such as a river, are interconnected and share identity ✓
- C. A request for permission to cross a river
- D. A proverb about the rewards of hard work
Why: The phrase 'I am the river, the river is me' expresses the connection between a person and their ancestral landscape. It reflects the principle that people are part of the natural environment rather than separate from it, and that identity is tied to place.
Q4. Why is knowing one's whakapapa considered important within Māori communities?
- A. It determines a person's taxable income
- B. It is required for entry into school
- C. It establishes rights, responsibilities, and a sense of belonging within the community ✓
- D. It is only relevant for those seeking political office
Why: Knowing whakapapa defines a person's place in the community, including their rights to land and marae, their obligations to whānau, and their connection to ancestors. It provides a foundation for identity, belonging, and responsibility.
Q5. Which term describes the ancestral homeland or tribal territory that is central to a group's identity?
- A. Marae
- B. Tapu
- C. Rohe ✓
- D. Kaumātua
Why: Rohe refers to a tribal territory or boundary area. Connection to rohe is central to identity because it links people to the land of their tūpuna. Marae are meeting grounds, tapu refers to sacredness or restriction, and kaumātua are respected elders.
Module 2
Module 2: Te Reo Māori: Language and Life
Te Reo Māori: Language and Life
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the Māori name for the Māori language?
- A. Te Reo Pākehā
- B. Te Reo Māori ✓
- C. Te Taha Māori
- D. Te Kōrero Iwi
Why: Te Reo Māori literally means 'the Māori language.' 'Te Reo' means 'the language' and 'Māori' refers to the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as the language itself.
Q2. Which Act made Te Reo Māori an official language of New Zealand?
- A. The Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975
- B. The Māori Language Act 1987 ✓
- C. The Education Act 1964
- D. The Waitangi Tribunal Act 1975
Why: The Māori Language Act 1987 declared Te Reo Māori an official language of New Zealand, alongside English and New Zealand Sign Language (the latter added in 2006).
Q3. What does the word 'whānau' mean in Te Reo Māori?
- A. Land or territory
- B. Ancestors
- C. Family or extended family ✓
- D. Meeting house
Why: Whānau means family, and in Māori culture it often refers to an extended family group, reflecting the importance of wider kinship ties beyond the immediate household.
Q4. Which Māori concept describes the reciprocal obligation to give and return favours or respect?
- A. Tapu
- B. Mana
- C. Utu ✓
- D. Manaakitanga
Why: Utu refers to reciprocity, the balancing of relationships through giving back or responding in kind. Tapu relates to sacredness, mana to prestige or authority, and manaakitanga to hospitality and care for others.
Q5. What does the Māori greeting 'Kia ora' most commonly mean?
- A. Goodbye for now
- B. Thank you only
- C. Hello, cheers, or be well ✓
- D. Welcome to my home
Why: Kia ora is a versatile expression used as a greeting, toast, or thank you. Literally it means 'be well' or 'be healthy,' reflecting a wish for wellbeing.
Module 3
Module 3: Marae and Community Life
Marae and Community Life
Knowledge check
Q1. What is a marae in Māori culture?
- A. A type of traditional canoe used for ocean voyages
- B. A communal meeting ground centred on a wharenui (meeting house) and surrounding open space ✓
- C. A sacred carving placed at the entrance of a village
- D. A ceremonial garment worn during funerals
Why: A marae is the traditional open space in front of a wharenui, the carved meeting house, and serves as the heart of community life for hui (gatherings), ceremonies, and welcomes.
Q2. Which of the following is a key protocol when entering a marae for the first time?
- A. Walking directly to the wharenui and sitting down
- B. Taking photographs of the carvings before being welcomed
- C. Being formally welcomed through the powhiri ceremony ✓
- D. Bringing a gift of food to place inside the meeting house immediately
Why: Visitors are traditionally welcomed through the powhiri, a formal ceremony that includes a karanga (women's call), speeches, and sometimes a hongi (pressing of noses), establishing relationships before guests enter.
Q3. What does the term 'wharenui' refer to?
- A. The dining hall where communal meals are prepared
- B. The carved ancestral meeting house at the centre of a marae ✓
- C. The tribal genealogy recorded in song
- D. The sacred burial ground beyond the marae
Why: The wharenui, literally 'big house,' is the principal meeting house and often embodies an ancestor, with its carvings representing tribal lineage and history.
Q4. Who traditionally makes the karanga, the ceremonial call that opens formal encounters on a marae?
- A. Male elders of the hapū
- B. Children of the iwi
- C. Women, typically kuia (older women) ✓
- D. Visiting guests from other tribes
Why: The karanga is traditionally performed by women, usually kuia, and serves as the call of welcome and invitation that guides visitors onto the marae.
Q5. What is the main purpose of a hui held on a marae?
- A. To trade goods with neighbouring communities
- B. To gather people for discussion, celebration, mourning, or decision-making ✓
- C. To train young warriors in traditional combat
- D. To conduct commercial business transactions
Why: A hui is a gathering that may serve many purposes, such as meetings, celebrations like birthdays and weddings, tangihanga (funerals), and community decision-making, all centred on the marae.
Module 4
Module 4: Tikanga and Protocol
Tikanga and Protocol
Knowledge check
Q1. What does the term 'tikanga' broadly refer to in Māori culture?
- A. A traditional Māori song form
- B. The customary system of correct values, practices and protocols ✓
- C. A type of carved meeting house
- D. A form of traditional weaving
Why: Tikanga refers to the customary system of correct behaviour, values and practices, derived from ancestral knowledge and guiding how people conduct themselves in various situations.
Q2. Which term describes the traditional greeting in which two people press their noses and foreheads together?
- A. Karanga
- B. Hongi ✓
- C. Whakapapa
- D. Haka
Why: The hongi is a traditional Māori greeting in which people press noses and foreheads together, symbolising the sharing of breath and life force (hā).
Q3. What is the purpose of a powhiri in Māori protocol?
- A. To celebrate the harvest season
- B. To formally welcome visitors onto a marae ✓
- C. To bury a deceased ancestor
- D. To train young warriors
Why: A powhiri is a formal welcoming ceremony that takes place on a marae, typically involving speeches, song and the hongi, to welcome guests and manifest the mana of the host.
Q4. Why is it generally considered inappropriate to touch another person's head in Māori tikanga?
- A. Because the head is considered the least sacred part of the body
- B. Because the head is considered tapu, carrying high spiritual significance ✓
- C. Because it is considered a sign of disrespect to the weather gods
- D. Because it is only permitted between married couples
Why: The head is considered the most tapu (sacred) part of the body, so touching someone's head, or handling items associated with it, is traditionally avoided out of respect.
Q5. What does the concept of 'mana' most closely refer to?
- A. Physical strength in combat
- B. Authority, prestige and spiritual power ✓
- C. Ownership of land and property
- D. Skill in navigation across the ocean
Why: Mana refers to authority, prestige, influence and spiritual power, which can be gained, lost, enhanced or diminished through a person's actions and the actions of their whānau.
Module 5
Module 5: Art, Carving and Weaving
Art, Carving and Weaving
Knowledge check
Q1. Which term refers to the traditional Māori art of carving, particularly in wood, stone and bone?
- A. Tukutuku
- B. Whakairo ✓
- C. Raranga
- D. Kowhaiwhai
Why: Whakairo means carving in te reo Māori and covers work in wood, pounamu (greenstone), bone and stone. Tukutuku is lattice panel weaving, raranga is weaving, and kowhaiwhai are painted rafter patterns.
Q2. What material is most traditionally associated with Māori carving of ornaments and tools?
- A. Pounamu (greenstone) ✓
- B. Gold
- C. Clay
- D. Marble
Why: Pounamu, or New Zealand jade, was highly prized and carved into hei-tiki, mere and other taonga. Gold, clay and marble were not traditional Māori materials.
Q3. What is the Māori term for woven panels with geometric patterns, often found in meeting houses?
- A. Whakairo
- B. Moko
- C. Tukutuku ✓
- D. Hangi
Why: Tukutuku are woven lattice panels made from strips of native flax and kiekie, often decorated with geometric designs that carry symbolic meaning. Whakairo is carving, moko is tattoo, and hangi is an earth oven.
Q4. Which plant is the principal fibre used in traditional Māori weaving, known as raranga?
- A. Harakeke (New Zealand flax) ✓
- B. Kauri
- C. Rimu
- D. Totara
Why: Harakeke, or New Zealand flax, provides the strong, pliable fibre used for weaving baskets, mats and cloaks. The trees kauri, rimu and totara are timbers used mainly in carving and building.
Q5. In a Māori meeting house, what does the carved central ridge pole, the tahuhu, represent?
- A. The backbone or spine of the ancestral house and its lineage ✓
- B. The entrance to the spirit world
- C. The market where goods were traded
- D. The place where warriors trained
Why: The tahuhu is the main ridge beam and is often seen as the spine of the ancestor the house represents, linking the building to its ancestral lineage. The other options do not match the traditional meaning of this element.
Module 6
Module 6: Oral Traditions and Storytelling
Oral Traditions and Storytelling
Knowledge check
Q1. In Māori culture, what is the term for the traditional oral narratives passed down through generations?
- A. Waiata
- B. Pūrākau ✓
- C. Whakapapa
- D. Haka
Why: Pūrākau are traditional narratives and stories that carry cultural knowledge, history, and values across generations. Waiata are songs, whakapapa are genealogies, and haka are ceremonial dances, so pūrākau is the correct term for oral narratives.
Q2. What is the primary purpose of whakapapa in Māori oral tradition?
- A. To entertain children at bedtime
- B. To record the ancestral lineage connecting people to the land, gods, and each other ✓
- C. To describe the rules of warfare
- D. To teach musical rhythm
Why: Whakapapa are genealogies that trace relationships between people, ancestors, the natural world, and atua (deities). They are central to identity, belonging, and rights to land, and are recited and remembered carefully in oral tradition.
Q3. Why are oral traditions considered so important in Māori culture before the arrival of written records?
- A. Written language was forbidden by ancestors
- B. They were the main way knowledge, history, and identity were preserved and transmitted ✓
- C. Stories were only meant to be performed for tourists
- D. They replaced the need for memory training
Why: Without a written script in pre-contact times, Māori relied on memory, recitation, song, and storytelling to preserve whakapapa, history, tribal knowledge, and values. Skilled orators and tribal experts carried these responsibilities.
Q4. What role does a kaikōrero (orator) typically play in a Māori community?
- A. Collecting taxes from families
- B. Speaking on behalf of the people during formal gatherings such as on the marae ✓
- C. Building waka (canoes)
- D. Selling traditional carvings
Why: A kaikōrero is a skilled speaker who represents the iwi, hapū, or whānau in formal settings, particularly on the marae. Oratory is a respected art requiring deep knowledge of whakapapa, proverbs, and tribal history.
Q5. Which element is commonly found in Māori storytelling to convey lessons and values?
- A. Whakataukī (proverbs) ✓
- B. Printed footnotes
- C. Mathematical formulas
- D. Chronological dates from a calendar
Why: Whakataukī are traditional proverbs that compress wisdom into short, memorable sayings. They are often woven into stories and speeches to illustrate values and teach lessons in a way that is easy to remember and pass on.
Module 7
Module 7: Māori in Modern Aotearoa
Māori in Modern Aotearoa
Knowledge check
Q1. Which treaty, signed in 1840, is considered the foundational agreement between the British Crown and Māori iwi and hapū in New Zealand?
- A. The Treaty of Waitangi ✓
- B. The Treaty of Versailles
- C. The Treaty of Paris
- D. The Treaty of Ghent
Why: The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840 and is the founding document of New Zealand's relationship between the Crown and Māori. Its interpretation and principles remain central to modern Māori rights and claims.
Q2. What is the name of the Crown agency established in 1975 to investigate contemporary claims that the Crown has breached Treaty of Waitangi principles?
- A. The Māori Land Court
- B. The Waitangi Tribunal ✓
- C. The Office of Treaty Settlements
- D. The Te Puni Kōkiri Commission
Why: The Waitangi Tribunal was established by the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 to hear claims from Māori about actions or omissions by the Crown that breach the Treaty. The Office of Treaty Settlements, by contrast, negotiates the settlement of historical claims.
Q3. What term refers to the Māori language revitalisation movement that gained strong momentum from the 1980s, including the establishment of Māori-language preschools called kōhanga reo?
- A. Kaupapa Māori revival
- B. Te Reo Māori renaissance ✓
- C. Mana whenua resurgence
- D. Whakapapa restoration
Why: The Te Reo Māori renaissance refers to the revitalisation of the Māori language, driven by initiatives such as kōhanga reo (language nests) founded in 1982. Te reo was declared an official language of New Zealand in 1987.
Q4. Which Māori word, meaning 'extended family' or 'sub-tribe', describes a key social unit in Māori society that many modern Māori identify with?
- A. Whānau ✓
- B. Marae
- C. Tapu
- D. Utu
Why: Whānau refers to the extended family and remains a core social and cultural unit in Māori life today. Marae are communal meeting grounds, tapu relates to sacredness or restriction, and utu relates to reciprocity or balance.
Q5. In 2008, New Zealand's Māori Party and a national shift toward Māori representation resulted in a significant change to electoral politics. What is the name of the system that allows Māori voters to choose between enrolling on a Māori electoral roll or the general roll?
- A. Māori Electoral Option ✓
- B. Te Tiriti Franchise
- C. Iwi Ballot System
- D. Kaitiaki Enrolment
Why: The Māori Electoral Option allows Māori to choose whether to enrol on the Māori electoral roll or the general roll, and it is held every five years alongside the census. Māori electorates have existed since 1867 and are a long-standing feature of New Zealand's electoral system.