If you don’t look after your visitors, and show manaakitanga (hospitality), you will end up having no visitors at all.

People with links to a marae have roles and responsibilities. Their main goal is to show hospitality to their guests. e.g., manaakitanga (which literally means to look after someone’s mana/prestige). 

Those who work behind the scenes as ringawera (which literally means hot hands) are very important, because without them doing a good job looking after people, there would be loss of face for those who are ‘front of house’. There is a saying that conveys this sentiment: Ka pai ki muri, ka pai ki mua. If everything goes well behind the scenes, all will be well at the front. 

On most marae, men are usually the kaikōrero. This is because the area outside the meeting house is deemed to be the domain of the god of war, Tūmatauenga. As such, women have traditionally been protected (by the men) from the ‘parry and thrust’ of the words spoken in that arena.  

In contrast, inside the whare-nui is the realm of Rongomātāne, the God of Peace. Most women reserve their speaking rights for inside.

Before reading the story, talk with students to discover: 

Flashcards / Whakaahua 

You could create flashcards to show images of the following content words: 

kaikaranga – caller 

kaikōrero – speaker 

kaiwaiata – singer 

kaiporotitipoi – poi twirler 

kaikarakia – person who says the prayers 

ringawera – cook 

kaiāwhina – server 

manuhiri – visitors  

Other words / Ētahi atu kupu 

Other words in the text include:  

manaaki – to look after 

te – the (singular); tēnei – this; ēnei – these 

tāngata – people 

mahi – role/job/work  

tino – very special  

o – of

Grammar / Wetereo 

[Normal, Medium Size, Align Centre] 

This story includes the following language structures: 

prefix kai meaning ‘a person who’ – e.g., kaikarakia is a person who says the prayers  

specifying particle ko – e.g., Ko Hine tēnei. (This is Hine.) 

third person pronoun ia (s/he) 

indefinite article he (a/some) 

interrogative he aha? (what?) 

preposition kei runga (on).

Once students are familiar with the text, you can facilitate some of the second language tasks/activities below, working to your students’ strengths and interests. The aim is to extend their proficiency and use of te reo in meaningful contexts.  

While facilitating these tasks/activities, remember that you don’t have to be the expert. As conveyed in the Māori concept of ako, you may be in the position of being a learner alongside your students. In fact, some students may want to take the lead. Ka pai tēnā. Nō reira, kia kaha. 

For general information on common task types, see He Reo Tupu, He Reo Ora. Choose ‘Using tasks and activities’.  

Viewing  

Students watch the YouTube clip of the story At the Marae, which is about a Pākehā girl’s first experience of staying on the marae.  

Matching  

Students match pieces of text from the story Kei Runga i te Marae with flashcard pictures.  

Viewing  

Students watch Shared roles and responsibilities in He Reo Tupu He Reo Ora to learn about the importance of ringawera.  

Reading and writing  

Students read the story Tōku Marae about different activities on the marae.  

They then use the framework of the story to create a new story with the title Ko tōku kura tēnei (This is my school), where they replace key words, e.g., verbs: 

He wāhi pānui (A place for reading) 

He wāhi tuhi (A place for writing) 

He wāhi āwhina (A place for helping) 

He wāhi waiata (A place for singing) 

He wāhi ako (A place for learning). 

True/False (Ke te tika/kei te hē) (listening or reading)  

Students decide whether a spoken or written statement about a picture in the book is true or false (kei te tika/kei te hē). If a statement is false, the students have to make it correct. 

For example, for the picture of the singer: 

He kaikōrero ia. 

Students would need to say it’s false, then provide the correct statement:  

He kaiwaiata ia.  

Reversioning  

Students use the structures in this text to write a short story that describes the different roles of people at school. For example: 

Ko Whaea Rīpeka tēnei. He kaiako ia.  
(This is Whaea Rīpeka. She is a teacher.) 

Ko Matua Iraia tēnei. He kaitiaki ia.  
(This is Matua Iraia. He is a caretaker.) 

Ko Mrs Smith tēnei. He hēkeretari ia.  
(This is Mrs Smith. She is a secretary.) 

Ko Mr Patrick tēnei. He kaikaute ia.  
(This is Mr Patrick. He is an accountant.) 

Listen and draw  

Students work in pairs. Each one has a grid with six numbered boxes. They tell their partner what item to draw in which box. 

For example:  

Tuhia he kaikōrero kei roto i te pouaka tuawhā. 

Draw a speaker inside the fourth box. 

There is a similar task in He Reo Tupu He Reo Ora (Resource sheet 3.11), and an associated video showing students doing this task. 

Some useful language for this activity includes:  

Mini book   

Print the mini-book template (with instructions) so every child in your class can take home a mini version of this story to read with whānau.

Songs / Waiata 

The following waiata will support the kaupapa of this reader: 

In English-medium ECE settings, where Māori language is a natural part of the programme (as recommended in the Mana reo strand of Te Whāriki), the big books for Reo Tupu stories can be used for shared reading with tamariki.  

These stories will allow teachers to weave Māori language and culture into their everyday activities, demonstrating the value they place on te reo and tikanga Māori. This is especially important for enhancing identity, sense of belonging, and well-being. The audio component of the e-books will support teachers and tamariki to pronounce te reo Māori correctly.

The following stories are relevant to the kaupapa of this reader:  

Rau, C. (2001). Ngā Ringawera. Ngaruawahia: Kia Ata Mai Publications. (Ngā Kete Kōrero book that introduces the ringawera – the people who prepare, cook, and serve the food at a hui and who clean up afterwards.)  

Te Awa, M. (2009). Tōku Marae. Wellington: Huia Publishers. (Ngā Kete Kōrero book showing activities on a marae. Available as a big book. The associated Māori-medium teachers’ notes were revised for English-medium, years 1–6, and are available online.

Acknowledgements / He mihi 

The author would like to acknowledge the teachers she has worked with over the years, inspiring her to create these books. Ināianei kua mātātupu. Ka tuku mihi hoki ki te whānau Laison nō Taranaki me te whānau Takotohiwi nō Ngāti Awa, who nurtured her in te ao Māori; ko te tino koha tēnā.

She also acknowledges with fondness her Māori tutors during decades of learning, particularly Hirini Mead, Tamati Kruger, Wiremu Parker, Keri Kaa, and Ruka Broughton. Also her two non-Māori mentors and role models, Mary Boyce and Fran Hunia. All these people have added to her kete. Kua whetūrangitia ētahi engari kāore e warewaretia ō rātou mahi maha ki te akiaki i a ia. Hei whakamutunga, ka tuku mihi ki āna mokopuna me āna tama – te pū o ēnei pukapuka.