Māori students at a mainstream Tauranga primary school have come up with an ingenious way to embrace their whakapapa while developing entrepreneurial skills. They’ve produced Tūpuna!, a stunning book about their ancestors to share mātauranga and learnings with others.
The pukapuka celebrates the strength and wisdom passed down through whakapapa. It explores the lessons ancestors can teach the tamariki of today, anchoring them under the protective korowai of cultural connection and strength.
Each page reminds young readers that they are never alone because they stand on the shoulders of their tūpuna who guide and inspire them. Taken as a whole, the book.
Tamariki with Tūpuna! which they devised, developed and marketed as part of the Whakamana Māori programme at Tahatahi Coast School
A year-long project
Tūpuna! is the culmination of a one-year project undertaken by 44, six to 11-year-old students of the Whakamana Māori programme at Tahatahi Coast School in Pāpāmoa.
Whakamana Māori is designed and delivered by E Tū Whānau kaimahi Mōwai Smiler (Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga) and his wife Cheyjuana Doyle (Te Whakatōhea).
“This pukapuka stemmed from our pakihi project, a core component of the Whakamana Māori programme that encourages tamariki to see themselves as a capable innovators and creators, just like their tūpuna were,” says Mōwai. “The most beautiful thing about this project is that each tamariki now knows that, given the right tools and resources, they have the potential to create and achieve anything.”
Mōwai Smiler, E Tū Whānau kaimahi, with some of the tamariki involved in the production of the book
Tūpuna who were innovators, scientists, leaders and peacemakers
Whakamana Māori aims to whakamana, or empower, primary-aged tamariki Māori and build their confidence by spending one day a week immersed in Māori language, culture and world view.
“We teach our tamariki to thrive within the embrace of all the E Tū Whānau values and ensure every one of those guiding principles is upheld both within and outside of the rōpū.”
Inspired by their close reading of E Tū Whānau booklets and resources. The tamariki decided that this year’s innovation project would be a book based on one of the E Tū Whānau core values, whakapapa.
“Over the year, we explored how we have descended from innovators, scientists, leaders and peacemakers. We brainstormed the traits of those tūpuna and the lessons we can learn from them.”
They also explored how whakapapa connects whānau to the world around them.
“Maunga are our tupuna too. They’re steadfast and teach us to find strength and stability within.
“The awa shows us how to flow forward regardless of the obstacles in our path and the moana teach us that no matter how turbulent things may feel, calm tides are ahead.”
Mōwai Smiler
Financial literacy and business acumen
The Tūpuna! project was an inspirational way to embed lessons in two other important aspects of the Whakamana Māori programme – financial literacy and business acumen.
Once they had settled on whakapapa as the theme, students developed the text and created the initial illustrations for the pukapuka. The tamariki were also closely involved in the producing and sharing their product with family and friends.
Tūpuna! grew from the ideas of the tamariki
The multi-faceted process taught them critical skills like kotahitanga, communication and problem-solving while staying grounded in Māoritanga.
Beautiful illustrations and verse bring Whakapapa to life for tamariki
Tūpuna! launch
Tupuna! was launched at Pāpāmoa Library on November 30 at a celebration attended by proud whānau and friends from the wider Tahatahi Primary School community.
“The tamariki in our Whakamana Māori rōpū have seen that their voices, stories and heritage are worthy of celebration, and that they have the power to inspire others,” says Mōwai.
Whakamana Māori programme is a story of love
The Whakamana Māori programme has a beautiful lineage of its own.
Mōwai and Cheyjuana Doyle were childhood sweethearts who both attended mainstream schools in Hawkes Bay.
“Growing up disconnected from our roots meant we walked the line between two worlds, te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā, and we both felt like we didn’t fit in either world. We were desperate to connect with our Māoritanga but didn’t know how. There was a sense of whakamā that we couldn’t understand,”
says Mōwai.
Mōwai and Cheyjuana now have four tamariki. The oldest two, nine-year-old Naiya Kōpū i te ao and seven-year-old Iva Kura-hau-awatea, are students at Tahatahi Primary.
“I never want my children to feel the same whakamā and loss I felt growing up without my culture, which I now understand is a core piece of who I am,”
says Mōwai.
Mōwai, Cheyjuana and their tamariki
Using their life experience and professional backgrounds as educators and financial capability mentors, along with the lessons from their own journeys of reclamation, Mōwai and Cheyjuana began researching and developing their innovative programme.
They found a robust correlation between a strong sense of cultural identity and positive life outcomes, including academic engagement and achievement, mental and emotional well-being and overall success in life.
“Many Māori students in mainstream education are disengaged and underachieving, and there’s a high prevalence of mental health issues among Māori youth.”
This programme started as a way to fill what my wife and I saw as a void in our daughter’s experience of mainstream education. As it developed, we’ve seen first-hand the power and pride that comes with cultural connection for our tamariki Māori.
It has been an honour watching our tauira thrive within the embrace of their reo, culture, and values. I would love to continue this journey and reach more students, which has been made possible through E Tū Whānau.”
Mōwai Smiler
