🏔️ Ko tōku Maunga
Introduction to pepeha — connecting to your mountain
📚 Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
WALT (We Are Learning To):
- Understand what a pepeha is and why it's important
- Identify a mountain that is significant to us
- Say the sentence "Ko [Maunga] tōku maunga" with correct pronunciation
WILF (What I'm Looking For):
- Students can explain what pepeha means
- Students can name their chosen maunga
- Students can say their maunga sentence aloud
📋 Lesson Flow (60 mins)
🌅 Whakataukī & Warm-up (10 mins)
"Hutia te rito o te harakeke, kei hea te kōmako e kō?"
If the heart of the flax is removed, where will the bellbird sing?
Discussion: What does this whakataukī mean? How does it connect to knowing who we are?
Lead-in question: "If someone asked you 'Who are you?' — what would you say beyond just your name?"
📖 Introduction to Pepeha (15 mins)
Explain: Pepeha is a way Māori introduce themselves by sharing connections to:
- 🏔️ Maunga (mountain)
- 🌊 Awa (river)
- 🛶 Waka (ancestral canoe)
- 👥 Iwi (tribe)
- 👪 Hapū (sub-tribe)
- 📍 Place of origin
Key point: Pepeha tells people not just WHO you are, but WHERE you come from and what you CONNECT to.
Model example: Teacher shares their own pepeha (or a sample pepeha).
Ko Pirongia tōku maunga.
Ko Waipā tōku awa.
Ko Tainui tōku waka.
Ko Ngāti Maniapoto tōku iwi.
Nō Kirikiriroa ahau.
Ko Hemi tōku ingoa.
🏔️ Focus: Ko tōku Maunga (20 mins)
Today we focus on ONE line:
Pronunciation Practice:
- Ko = "koh" (like "co" in coffee)
- tōku = "toh-koo" (long ō sound)
- maunga = "mow-nga" (ng like in "singer")
Activity: Find Your Maunga
- Using a map of New Zealand (or Google Maps), find mountains near:
- Where you live now
- Where your family is from
- A place that's special to you
- Choose ONE mountain as YOUR maunga
- Write your sentence: "Ko ______ tōku maunga."
- Practice saying it aloud to a partner
🎤 Oral Practice (10 mins)
Pair Share:
- Turn to a partner
- Person A says: "Ko [their maunga] tōku maunga."
- Person B responds: "Tēnā koe! Ko [their maunga] tōku maunga."
- Swap roles
Class Circle: Go around the room — each student shares their maunga line.
🔚 Whakamutunga — Wrap-up (5 mins)
Exit Ticket: On a sticky note, write:
- Your maunga sentence
- Why you chose that mountain
Preview next lesson: Next time we'll add the RIVER (awa) and WAKA to our pepeha!
📎 Ngā Rauemi — Resources
⚡ Rerekētanga — Differentiation
- Provide a list of local mountains
- Audio recording of pronunciation
- Pair with confident speaker
- Research the meaning of their maunga's name
- Find out if their maunga has a pūrākau (story)
- Learn to say two mountains (maternal/paternal)
👩🏫 Teacher Notes
- For students who aren't Māori or don't know their iwi connections, they can choose a mountain that's meaningful to them — where they live, where they were born, or a place they love.
- Some students may have multiple mountains (one from each parent's side). This is fine! Use "ōku maunga" (plural) if needed: "Ko Ruapehu rāua ko Taranaki ōku maunga."
- Connect with local iwi if possible to learn about the significant maunga in your area.
- Pronunciation matters — model frequently and celebrate attempts!
🎬 Media Anchor (8 mins)
Media Anchor: Identity and Place
- What connection to place in the video mirrors your own maunga choice?
- Add one phrase from the video that deepens your maunga line.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
Students will engage with this resource to craft and perform their personal pepeha — the traditional introduction that locates a person within their whakapapa, connecting maunga, awa, waka, iwi, hapū, and ingoa. Pepeha is one of the most important communicative acts in Te Ao Māori: it establishes identity, relationship, and belonging.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can recite or write their personal pepeha using the correct structural elements with accurate pronunciation.
- ✅ Students can explain the significance of each element of their pepeha — why maunga, awa, waka, iwi, hapū, and ingoa matter as identity markers.
Differentiation & Inclusion
Scaffold support: Provide pepeha sentence frames with blanks for students to complete at the entry level. For students without known iwi or whakapapa connections — due to adoption, Pākehā or non-Māori heritage, or other circumstances — offer a mihimihi alternative that connects to their place, school, and whānau. Extend students who have completed their pepeha by asking them to research the history and significance of their maunga or awa.
ELL / ESOL: Pepeha is a context where home-language connection is a strength, not a barrier — encourage students to reflect on equivalent identity-introduction forms in their own cultural traditions. Pre-teach key kupu (maunga = mountain, awa = river, waka = canoe/ancestral vessel, iwi = tribe, hapū = subtribe, ingoa = name). Model pronunciation using te reo Māori audio resources.
Inclusion: Some students may have complex relationships to identity — adoption, disconnection from whakapapa, or non-Māori backgrounds. Create a safe, non-judgemental space where all identity expressions are honoured. Neurodiverse learners benefit from visual pepeha maps (name → maunga → awa → waka → iwi → hapū → ingoa as a connected diagram). Oral performance can be adapted — some students may prefer written or recorded formats.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Pepeha is not a language exercise — it is a relational and philosophical act. It expresses the understanding that people do not exist as isolated individuals: we are located in landscape, whakapapa, and community. Ko au ko te maunga, ko te maunga ko au — I am the mountain, the mountain is me. This reciprocal relationship between person and place is foundational to Te Ao Māori. Teaching pepeha is teaching identity, belonging, and mana.
Prior knowledge: No prior te reo Māori knowledge required. Students benefit from a brief class discussion about identity and what makes us who we are before beginning their pepeha.
Curriculum alignment
- Te Reo Māori — Communicating: Introduce themselves and others using personal information, including pepeha and mihimihi, drawing on knowledge of their own identity and connections to place.
- Identity, Culture, and Organisation: Understand how identity is shaped by connections to place, whakapapa, and cultural community — and how these connections are expressed through tikanga Māori.