Te Reo Māori • Whanaungatanga • Years 5-10 • Identity-safe starter

Pepeha Builder

Use this handout to help ākonga build a pepeha or place-based introduction that is respectful, safe, and grounded in Aotearoa contexts. It keeps mātauranga Māori visible while making it clear that students do not have to disclose iwi, hapū, or family details they do not know or do not wish to share.

Ingoa / Name
Akomanga / Class

Best for

Whakawhanaungatanga, oral language, Te Reo Māori foundations, and Unit 1 openings where students need a clear scaffold before speaking in front of others.

Kaiako use

Model one flexible classroom pepeha first, then let students plan individually, with whānau support, or through a shared class example if personal details are not yet known.

Ākonga use

Students can draft, rehearse, and refine a respectful introduction that acknowledges people, place, and belonging in a way that fits their own context.

Free classroom starter, premium localisation path

This version is ready to print and use tomorrow. If you need a junior version, bilingual prompts, a school mihi format, or a rohe-specific adaptation, Te Wānanga can reshape the scaffold without flattening the mātauranga Māori lens.

  • Add local place names, school references, or iwi-specific guidance.
  • Create support, core, and stretch versions for mixed-readiness classes.
  • Save your adapted version for later in My Kete or Creation Studio.
Adapt this in Te Wānanga Open Creation Studio Compare paid workflow options

Kaiako planning snapshot

  • Use length: 25-40 minutes for drafting and rehearsal, or two shorter sessions if you want time for whānau follow-up.
  • Grouping: Whole-class modelling first, then individual planning with pair rehearsal or teacher conferencing.
  • Prep: Decide what counts as safe sharing in your class before asking students to name people, places, or whakapapa connections.
  • Teaching move: Say explicitly that a pepeha can be adapted and that local variation matters across iwi, hapū, whānau, and rohe.
Identity-safe Oral language

Resources already provided

  • Identity-safe guidance for students who do not know every detail
  • Chunked line-by-line planning scaffold
  • Rehearsal prompts and final draft space
  • Support, core, and stretch pathways
  • Curriculum companion for kaiako planning and reporting

If the lesson mentions planning prompts, speaking rehearsal, or a printable final draft sheet, those supports already exist on this page.

Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions

  • We are learning how a pepeha helps express identity, belonging, and connection to place.
  • We are learning how to build an introduction that respects mātauranga Māori and local variation.
  • We are learning how to rehearse a short spoken introduction with confidence.

Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria

  • I can explain what a pepeha does and why it matters in Aotearoa.
  • I can draft an introduction using details I am comfortable and allowed to share.
  • I can rehearse my lines orally, visually, or with a partner before presenting.

Curriculum integration / Te Marautanga alignment

Use the companion page to make the curriculum link explicit around pepeha structure, oral introductions, whanaungatanga, and the acknowledgement of people and place in Aotearoa classrooms.

Learning Languages English oral language Pepeha and mihi
Open curriculum companion

Why this matters in Aotearoa

A pepeha is more than an icebreaker. It helps students think about relationships to whenua, people, community, and identity through a mātauranga Māori lens. It can also strengthen whanaungatanga when introduced with care.

Not every student will know iwi, hapū, marae, or migration details. Some students are adopted, whāngai, in blended families, recently arrived, or navigating private histories. Good teaching makes room for safe, truthful, and respectful alternatives.

Use this safely and respectfully

  • Ask whānau before using specific iwi, hapū, marae, or ancestral details in a public task.
  • If you do not know a detail, use a place, kura, community, or support person connection instead of guessing.
  • Different iwi and hapū organise pepeha differently, so avoid teaching one single formula as the only correct version.

Build your introduction one part at a time

1. Place

What mountain, river, sea, suburb, town, or rohe helps tell your story?

Ko ______________________________ te maunga / te awa / te moana.

2. People

Who are the people or communities that hold you up?

Ko ______________________________ tōku whānau / hapori / kura.

3. Place of belonging

What place do you feel connected to now, even if it is different from where your ancestors came from?

Kei ______________________________ ahau e noho ana.

4. Your closing line

Finish with the name you would like to use in class.

Ko ______________________________ tōku ingoa.

My full draft

Write your draft below. You may use te reo Māori only, English support notes, or a bilingual version if that helps you rehearse.

Rehearsal and delivery

Voice practice

Circle one goal for today: clear pronunciation, steady pace, eye contact, or calm breathing.

Partner feedback

What helped your partner feel connected to your introduction?

Alternative response mode

If speaking live is not the best fit today, record an audio version, draw a place map, or rehearse only the first two lines with support.

Support, core, and stretch pathways

Support

Keep one line visible at a time, use word banks or place cards, and orally rehearse before writing so the task stays chunked and manageable.

Core

Complete a four-line draft and rehearse it with a partner or kaiako before sharing with the class.

Stretch

Add a mihi opener, explain one line in English, or compare how your class version may differ from a local iwi or whānau version.

Neurodiversity and inclusion note: offer oral rehearsal, visual cue cards, teacher scribing, and quiet presentation options before expecting a polished whole-class delivery.

Teach this tomorrow

Print or share

  • One copy per learner
  • Optional class word bank or pronunciation model

Decide before class

  • What details students should never feel forced to share
  • Whether you are using a localised or classroom-general scaffold

Good progress looks like

  • Students understand that pepeha is about respectful connection, not performance only
  • Drafts are accurate, safe, and spoken with growing confidence

Natural continuation

  • Move into whakapapa mapping, mihi, or local place inquiry
  • Adapt it in Te Wānanga for your kura or bilingual programme

Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment

Social Sciences — Tikanga ā-Iwi

Level 3–4: Understand how cultural identity, whakapapa, and tikanga shape people's place in their community and the world; recognise and respect the significance of te Tiriti o Waitangi and the contribution of Māori culture to Aotearoa New Zealand's national identity.

Te Reo Māori — Language and Culture

Level 3–4: Use te reo Māori to express identity, whakapapa, and cultural concepts with accuracy and respect; understand the significance of place names, personal names, and whakapapa as cultural knowledge systems.

Aronga Mātauranga Māori

Pepeha is one of the most important forms of self-introduction in te ao Māori — not because it names who you are as an individual, but because it locates you within a web of relationships: your maunga, your awa, your waka, your hapū, your iwi, your tīpuna. This is a profoundly different understanding of identity from the Western "tell me about yourself." In Māori thought, you are not separate from your land, your water, your ancestors, and your people — you are constituted by them. A pepeha that is learned by heart is not just a skill: it is an act of claiming your place in the world.

Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions

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.

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

  • ✅ Students can explain key concepts from this resource using their own words.
  • ✅ Students can connect tikanga Māori and whakapapa to real-world examples in Aotearoa.

Differentiation & Inclusion

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.

Curriculum alignment