Whakataukī

Whakataukī (proverbs) play a large role within Māori culture. They are used as a reference point in speeches and also as guidelines spoken to others day by day. We've pulled together a variety of resources and a selection of popular whakataukī.

Whakataukī give an insight into Māori thought. The word whakataukī can be split into whaka (to cause), tau (to be settled) and kī (a saying), thus a whakataukī is a saying that has become settled over time, through constant repetition from the time it was first exclaimed right up to the present day.

A whakataukī is a proverb where the originally speaker is unknown. A whakatauākī is a proverb where the original speaker is known. 

Mā te whakarongo, ka mōhio, mā te mōhio, ka mārama, mā te mārama, ka matau, mā te matau, ka ora.
Through listening, comes knowledge, through knowledge, comes understanding, through understanding, comes wisdom, through wisdom, comes wellbeing.

He hauora te taonga.
Health is wealth.

Mō te katoa te oranga!
Health inequities are not inevitable!

Ka pō, ka ao, ka awatea.
From within the darkness comes light and a new day.
This is about moving from illness to wellness, or about new beginnings.

He kokonga whare e kitea, he kokonga ngākau e kore e kitea.
A corner of a house may be seen but not so the corners of the heart.
This is about caring, love and compassion.

Te manu e kai ana i te miro, nōna te ngahere. Te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga, nōna te ao.
The bird that feeds on the miro berry, for him the forest. The bird that partakes of knowledge – for him the world.
This is reflective of the isolating nature of health illiteracy.

Ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi.
The old net is cast aside, while the new net goes a-catching.

Mai i te kōpae ki te urupa, tātou ako tonu ai.
From the cradle to the grave, we are forever learning.

Ko koe ki tena, ko ahau ki tēnei kīwai o te kete.
You at that handle, and I at this handle of the basket.

Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa.
Let us all keep close together, not wide apart.

Te toto o te tangata he kai, te oranga o te tangata, he whenua, he oneone.
While food provides the blood in our veins, our health is drawn from the land and soils.

Ngā hiahia ai ki te tīmatanga ā ka kite ai tātou i te mutunga.
You must understand the beginning if you wish to see the end.

Ko te amorangi ki mua, te hāpai ō ki muri.
Leadership to the fore: we all have important roles to play.

He kura te tangata.
Our humanity is precious.

Ko tō hoe, ko taku hoe, ka tere te waka e. 
With your paddle and my paddle, the waka will travel quickly.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi. Engari, he toa takitini.
Success is not the work of one, but the work of many.

Whatungarongaro te tangata toitū te whenua.
As people disappear from sight, the land remains.

Kōtahi tonu te te hiringa i kake ai a Tāne ki Tikitiki-o-Rangi, ko te hiringa i te mahara.
There is but one power that allowed Tāne to ascend to the uppermost heavens, and that is the power of the mind.

Kāore te kūmara e kōrero mō tōna reka.
The kūmara does not speak of its sweetness.

Ēhara tāku toa i te takitini, he toa takitahi.
My success would not be bestowed onto me alone, as it was not individual success but success of a collective.

Piki kau ake te whakāro pai, hauhake tōnu iho.
When a good thought springs up, it is harvested, a good idea should be used immediately.

He ōranga ngākau, he pikinga waiora.
Positive feelings in your heart will enhance your sense of self-worth.

Taranaki Maunga, Taranaki Tangata!
Taranaki is the Mountain and Taranaki are the people!
This is a generic Taranaki targeted identifier.