Cultural Practice Explanation — Understanding Tikanga · Years 7–10
Tikanga refers to Māori customary practices — the "right way" of doing things according to Māori culture. Tikanga guides behavior, ensuring respect, safety, and harmony in communities.
The word comes from tika meaning "correct" or "right."
Tapu means something is sacred, restricted, or spiritually protected. It sets up boundaries to keep people safe.
Noa is the opposite of tapu — everyday, unrestricted, balanced.
Mana is prestige, authority, and spiritual power.
Manaakitanga is the practice of caring for others, showing kindness and generosity.
Karakia are spoken to create a sense of focus, to acknowledge spiritual dimensions, or to transition between activities. You might hear karakia at the start of school, before meals, or before important events.
The hongi is a traditional greeting where two people press noses and foreheads together. This represents sharing the breath of life (ha) and connects the two people spiritually.
A pōwhiri is a formal welcome ceremony on a marae. It includes karanga (call), whaikōrero (speeches), waiata (songs), hongi, and kai (food).
In tikanga, heads and food should be kept separate:
Many NZ schools incorporate tikanga:
Tikanga is recognized in NZ law and institutions:
Every culture has customs and practices. Think about your own family or cultural background:
My reflections:
Level 3–4: Investigate social, cultural, environmental, and economic questions; gather and evaluate evidence from diverse sources; communicate findings and reasoning clearly for different audiences and purposes.
Level 3–4: Read, interpret, and evaluate information texts; write clearly and purposefully for specific audiences; apply critical thinking skills to evaluate sources and construct well-reasoned responses.
Reflect on your learning. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
This resource sits within a kaupapa that recognises mātauranga Māori as a living knowledge system with its own frameworks, values, and ways of understanding the world. The New Zealand Curriculum calls for learning that reflects the bicultural partnership of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which means every subject area has an obligation to engage authentically with Māori perspectives — not as cultural decoration but as substantive contributions to how we understand our topics. The concepts of manaakitanga (care for others), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whanaungatanga (relationship and belonging), and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) provide a values framework applicable across all learning areas, and all are relevant to the work in this handout.
This handout is designed to be used alongside other resources in the same unit. Related materials are linked in the unit planner. All content is provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.
Students will engage with this resource to deepen understanding of Te Ao Māori — exploring whakapapa, tikanga, and cultural identity as living systems that shape who we are in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Scaffold support: Provide sentence starters, visual glossaries, or graphic organisers to give entry-level access for students who need additional support. Offer extension tasks that deepen cultural inquiry — for example, exploring local hapū histories or interviewing a kaumātua.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key kupu Māori (whakapapa, tikanga, mana, mauri) with bilingual glossaries where available. Allow students to respond in their home language as a bridge to English expression.
Inclusion: Use accessible formats — clear headings, adequate whitespace, chunked tasks. Neurodiverse learners benefit from structured choice in how they demonstrate understanding (oral, visual, written). Acknowledge that students may hold personal connections to the cultural content.
Mātauranga Māori lens: This unit centres Te Ao Māori as a living knowledge system. Whakapapa is not merely genealogy but a relational framework linking people, place, and time. Tikanga grounds behaviour in kaupapa Māori principles. Approach content with aroha and manaakitanga.
Prior knowledge: No specialist prior knowledge required for entry-level engagement. Best used after relevant lesson sequences, or as a standalone introduction to cultural identity.