He Pito Mata
Whaowhia tō kete mātauranga i ngā kai a te rangatira, i ngā kai tuku ihō - nau mai, kuhu mai, whakatau mai nei.
Fill your kete of knowledge with the wisdom and learning passed down through generations.
This is a space to pause, to listen, to learn and to connect.
Like entering a whare, we invite you to cross into te ao Māori with an open mind and an open heart.
This page is for all Red Cross people and is the portal that will connect you to information that will support your learning journey — from learning about te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori, to understanding our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the mahi of He Pito Mata. You will also find resources, stories, training opportunities and much more to support you in your te ao Māori haerenga | journey.
Mā te rongo, ka mōhio
Mā te mōhio, ka mārama
Mā te mārama, ka mātau
Mā te mātau, ka ora ai te tangata
From listening, comes awareness
From awareness, comes understanding
From understanding, comes knowledge
Through knowledge, our people will thrive
If you have any pātai | questions please contact us at kaupapamaori@redcross.org.nz
Read and/or download the full guide here: He Pito Mata - an introductory guide to Te Ao Māori
Or break up your learning in segments below.
What makes Rīpeka Whero Aotearoa unique, compared with other National Societies, is our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and our relationship with Māori as tangata whenua. This commitment is foundational and is reflected in our constitution. It shapes how we understand our role, how we build relationships, and how we deliver our mahi in ways that uphold equity, mana, and partnership.
Read the Ko wai tatou | Who we are guide here: Ko wai tātou
Inside this section, you will find information about:
- Rīpeka Whero Aotearoa
- Our commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
- Māori values interwoven with our Fundamental Principles
- The story of Humanity in te ao Māori
- Our visual identity
He Pito Mata is our Te Ao Māori programme, designed to embed a Māori worldview and uphold the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. He Pito Mata is committed to strengthening understanding and capability of Te Ao Māori for all Red Cross people, so we can engage more effectively with Māori and deliver greater impact in our communities.
Read about our te ao Māori programme – He Pito Mata here: He Pito Mata
He Pito Mata aims to strengthen our capability to better connect with iwi and Māori. Partnering with Māori leads to better outcomes not only for Māori, but for the wider communities we serve. Our mission at Rīpeka Whero is clear; to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilising the power of humanity. We acknowledge that we will keep showing up, with compassion, action, and unwavering commitment to the communities we serve.
Read our guide to Engaging with Māori | te wahi wāhi te Māori here: Te wahi wāhi te Māori
In this section, you will find information on:
- Understanding Te Tiriti o Waitangi
- Working with Māori
- Battle of Pukehinahina
- An introduction to Tikanga and Kawa
- Guidance on entering a marae
Te reo Māori is a highly contextual language where many single words carry multiple interconnected meanings, metaphors, and layers. In this section of the guide, we introduce you to the history of te reo Māori and its revitalisation as well as introducing you to some basics of te reo Māori.
Read our guide to te reo Māori | the Māori language here: Te reo Māori
In this section, you will find information on:
- Te reo Māori and its revitalisation
- History of te reo Māori
- Using te reo Māori
- Pronunciation
- Te reo Māori greetings and farewells
- Karakia
- Rīpeka whero A0tearoa Waiata | Red Cross New Zealand song
- Pepeha (how to create your pepha)
The Rōpū Hāpai Māori is one of Rīpeka Whero’s networks where members have a role in helping our organisation build its cultural capability, both to better support our own Red Cross people, and to help ensure we can provide the right support to the Māori communities we serve in our humanitarian work.
Read about our support | tautoko here: Tautoko
In this section, you will find information about,
- Rōpū Hāpai Māori - our network to help support us building cultural capability
- Our programme team
Once you have worked your way through all five sections of the He Pito Mata guide, test your understanding of te ao Māori with this aromatawai ā-ipuarngi | online knowledge check here: Aromatawai ā-ipurangi | Online Knowledge Check
Every time we used new kupu |word in the guide it was highlighted and explained at the bottom of each page. This is a full glossary of many of the words used.
You can read it here: Kuputaka | Glossary
Aromatawai ā-ipurangi | Online knowledge check
We all need to improve our awareness and understanding of te ao Māori so we can better connect with Māori in our communities.
To leave you feeling like you have progressed in your awareness and understanding of te ao Māori, we have put together a knowledge check which is available for all our people.
The knowledge check comprises of 20 multi-choice questions. The questions cover:
- Organisational knowledge
- Te Tiriti o Waitangi
- Tikanga and Kawa
- Engaging with Māori
Once you have completed and passed the knowledge check, you will be sent a tohu recognising your progression in your cultural education and commitment to working with Māori as tangata whenua.
Complete your aromatawai ā-ipurangi | online knowledge check here: Aromatawai ā-ipurangi | Online Knowledge Check