Special Cakes  

(This refers to a firstborn child supposedly having superior qualities – and perhaps being indulged because of this.) 

The birth of a child is very special. S/he is as precious as greenstone – as conveyed in the proverb in this story: Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu. 

Traditionally, Māori parents would sing oriori (lullabies) to their children. These lullabies reinforced how tapu (sacred) and loved each child was. They also communicated knowledge of the child’s whakapapa (genealogy).  

The upbringing of the child was the responsibility of te whānau whānui (the wider family) such as parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and siblings. The Māori father’s traditional role has been described as the nurturing warrior – a carer alongside the mother (as stated in research by Te Kāhui Mana Ririki Trust, March 2011). 

Through modelling within the whānau, children gradually learned how to take on adult responsibilities such as caregiving and food gathering/preparing. Ethnographers of the day noted that Māori tamariki surpassed their European peers in all aspects. 

Flashcards / Whakaahua 

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

keke – cake  

pēpi – baby 

tama – son 

porowhita – circle  

tapahwhā – rectangle 

tapatoru – triangle  

taimana – diamond 

rima – 5 

tekau mā toru – 13  

rua tekau mā tahi –21  

toru tekau – 30  

toru tekau mā wha – 34   

Other words / Ētahi atu kupu 

Other words in the text include:  

mahi keke – to bake a cake  

tau – year/s 

hou – new  

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 the animation Kotahi rau in He Reo Tupu He Reo Ora 

Students consolidate their counting from 1–10, then 11–20, then in tens until they get to 100.  

The animations in He Reo Tupu He Reo Ora are supported with useful information, including storyline, grammar, Māori transcript, and English translation. Teachers are encouraged to view this information, before showing the animations. 

Flashcards (numbers 1–19) 

Resource sheets 6.1 and 6.2 in He Reo Tupu He Reo Ora to match pictures and words re numbers.  

Age display  

Each student writes their name and age in Māori on a paper birthday cake (any shape), e.g., E iwa aku tau (I am 9), which is then strung together across the classroom. 

Bingo  

Resource sheet 6.4 in He Reo Tupu He Reo Ora, to consolidate the numbers 1–40 – with winner/s repeating their numbers back in Māori.   

Flashcards and bingo  

(Re different family members) – Resource sheets 1.1 and 1.2 in He Reo Tupu He Reo Ora – to consolidate vocabulary related to relations. 

Matching (listening or reading)  

Students match selected pieces of oral or written text from the story to associated pictures.  

For example, matching the picture of the birthday cake with five candles to the text: E rima aku tau.  

Or matching the picture of the rectangular cake to the text: He tapawhā. 

Or matching the picture of Mum’s diamond cake to the text: I mahi keke au.  

True/false (Kei te tika/kei te hē) (listening or reading)  

Students make a judgement on whether a spoken or written statement about a picture in the book is true/false (kei te tika/kei te hē). 

For example, for the picture of the circular cake, you could make the following false statement: He tapatoru. 

If false, as above, the students must ‘make it right’ by providing the correct text that corresponds with that picture: He porowhita.  

Multi-choice  

Students decide which of several descriptions best apply to a picture from the text. For example, for the picture of the triangular cake, the descriptions could be:  

He tapatoru. 
He taimana. 
He tapawhā. 
He porowhita. 

Writing  

Students research, draw, and label (or provide captions for) other shapes of birthday cakes, e.g., he tapaono (a hexagon); he manawa (a heart); he whetū (a star); he tapawhā rite (a square). 

Cloze activity  

Create gaps in the written text for students to complete. A cloze is a good way to help students notice the grammar of te reo Māori, as well as improve their prediction skills and encourage them to make intelligent guesses from context cues.  

For example:  

I mahi keke au mō taku ___.  

He aha te ___ o te keke? 

The gaps can represent a consistent part of speech such as nouns or pronouns. Alternatively, words can be deleted at random, for example, every third word. 

A cloze task can be extended to incorporate listening and speaking, where the teacher reads a piece of text and stops at each missing word, so students can suggest an appropriate word to fill the gap.   

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 the reader:  

Rā whānau ki a koe – an alternative birthday song featured in the He Reo Tupu He Reo Ora animation ‘Taku Huritau’: 

Rā whānau ki a koe e tama e, 

Rā whānau ki a koe e tama e, 

Kia ora, mauri ora, hari huritau, 

Aue hi aue aue hi ha!  

(Happy birthday to you son (×2) 
May you be well, happy birthday.) 

Another more common version of Happy Birthday in Māori is provided by the Māori Language Commission: Hari huritau ki a koe.  

Note that this version includes some new language. For example: 

E hia ō tau? (How old are you?) 

Kotahi tōku tau. (I am one – literally ‘one my year’.)  

E whā ōku tau. (I am four – literally ‘four my years’.) 

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: 

He Kupenga Hao i te Reo (2002). Tatauria 1–20. Wellington: Learning Media. (Number sequence from one to twenty.)  

Mahuika, K. (2005). O Taiao 6–10. Wellington: Learning Media. (Counting objects from six to ten.) 

Mahuika, K. & Pewhairangi, K. (2004). E Rima ngā Matimati. Wellington: Learning Media. (Concept of rima.)  

Mahuika, K. & Pewhairangi, K. (2004). E Toru ngā Pea. Wellington: Learning Media. (Concept of toru.) 

Mahuika, K. & Pewhairangi, K. (2004). Ko Au Tēnei E Haka Ana! Wellington: Learning Media. (Concept of rua.)  

Mahuika, K. & Pewhairangi, K. (2004). Kurī Pahupahu. Wellington: Learning Media. (Concept of whā.)  

Mahuika, K. & Pewhairangi, K. (2005). Ngā Tākaro a ngā Tamariki. Wellington: Learning Media. (Concept of tekau.) 

Mahuika, K. & Pewhairangi, K. (2004). Te Ngeru Matekai. Wellington: Learning Media. (Concept of tahi.) 

Ministry of Education (2007). 1. Wellington: Learning Media. (Features kotahi.) 

Ministry of Education (2007). 2. Wellington: Learning Media. (Features rua.)  

Ministry of Education (2007). 3. Wellington: Learning Media. (Features toru.) 

Ministry of Education (2007). 4. Wellington: Learning Media. (Features whā.)  

Ministry of Education (2007). 5. Wellington: Learning Media. (Features rima.)  

Ministry of Education (2007). 6. Wellington: Learning Media. (Features ono.)  

Ministry of Education (2008). 7. Wellington: Learning Media. (Features whitu.)  

Ministry of Education (2008). 8. Wellington: Learning Media. (Features waru.)  

Ministry of Education (2008). 9. Wellington: Learning Media. (Features iwa.)  

Ministry of Education (2008). 10. Wellington: Learning Media. (Features tekau.)  

Rau, C. (2002). Ngā Kaihoe. Ngaruawahia: Kia Ata Mai. (Counting paddlers in a canoe.) 

Te Awa, M. (2009). He Aha Rā? Wellington: Learning Media. (Shapes and colours – also available as a big book.) 

Te Awa, M. (2009). He Kaui mā Pēpi. Wellington: Learning Media. (Shapes and colours – also available as a big book.) 

Te Awa, M. (2009). He Momo Pōro. Wellington: Learning Media. (Shapes – also available as a big book.)  

Te Awa, M. (2009). Ka Kitea e Au … Wellington: Learning Media. (Shapes – also available as a big book.)  

Te Awa, M. (2009). Ngā Tohu o te Huarahi. Wellington: Learning Media. (Shapes – also available as a big book.)