🤝 Pepeha vs Mihimihi
When to use each — and building your mihimihi
📚 Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
WALT:
- Understand the difference between pepeha and mihimihi
- Know when each is appropriate to use
- Build a mihimihi as an alternative (especially for non-Māori)
- Practice both in different contexts
🔍 The Key Distinction
🏔️ Pepeha
Focus: Geographic and ancestral connections
- Mountains, rivers, waka, iwi, hapū
- Connects to PLACE and WHAKAPAPA
- Used in formal Māori settings (pōwhiri, hui)
- Establishes your identity in te ao Māori
Best for: Those with known Māori whakapapa connections
🤝 Mihimihi
Focus: Broader acknowledgements and introductions
- Who you are, where you're from, what you do
- Can acknowledge the whenua you're on
- More flexible and adaptable
- Used in both formal and informal settings
Best for: Everyone, especially tangata Tiriti (non-Māori)
🎯 When to Use Each
| Context | Pepeha | Mihimihi |
|---|---|---|
| On a marae (pōwhiri) | ✅ Preferred | ✅ Also okay |
| In class or at school | ✅ | ✅ |
| Job interview / professional | ✅ If comfortable | ✅ Common |
| Meeting someone casually | ❌ Too formal | ✅ Perfect |
| Non-Māori introducing themselves in te reo | ⚠️ Be thoughtful | ✅ More appropriate |
✨ Building a Mihimihi
Mihimihi is more flexible than pepeha. Here's a structure you can adapt:
Mihimihi Structure:
- Greeting: Tēnā koutou katoa. (Greetings to you all)
- Acknowledge the land: Ka mihi au ki te whenua, ki [local place]. (I acknowledge the land, [local place])
- Acknowledge tangata whenua: Ka mihi hoki au ki ngā tāngata whenua o tēnei rohe. (I acknowledge the people of this area)
- Your origins: I te taha o tōku māmā/pāpā, nō [country] ōku tīpuna.
- Where you live: Kei [place] ahau e noho ana. (I live in [place])
- Your name: Ko [name] tōku ingoa.
- Closing: Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa. (Greetings to us all)
Example Mihimihi:
Tēnā koutou katoa.
Ka mihi au ki te whenua, ki Kirikiriroa.
Ka mihi hoki au ki ngā tāngata whenua o tēnei rohe.
I te taha o tōku māmā, nō Aerana ōku tīpuna.
I te taha o tōku pāpā, nō Ingarangi ōku tīpuna.
Kei Kirikiriroa ahau e noho ana.
Ko Sarah tōku ingoa.
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.
🎭 Activity: Role-Play Both (15 mins)
Scenario 1: You're on a marae for a pōwhiri.
→ Which would you use? Practice with a partner.
Scenario 2: You're introducing yourself on the first day at a new job.
→ Which feels more appropriate? Practice with a partner.
Scenario 3: Your class is hosting visitors from a local iwi.
→ What would you say? Draft your response.
⚠️ A Word About Cultural Respect
Pepeha is deeply connected to Māori identity and whakapapa. For non-Māori (tangata Tiriti), consider:
- It's okay to say: "I don't have iwi connections, so I'll share my mihimihi instead."
- Don't claim: Iwi, hapū, or waka that aren't yours through whakapapa.
- You CAN acknowledge: The maunga and awa near you, even if they're not ancestrally yours.
- When in doubt: Mihimihi is always respectful and appropriate.
Remember: The goal is authentic connection, not performance. Be genuine about who you are.
📝 Homework: Finalise Your Introduction
- Decide: Will you present a pepeha or mihimihi next lesson?
- Complete your Pepeha Builder Template OR Mihimihi Template
- Practice saying it aloud at home (to whānau, mirror, or recording)
- Be ready to present in Lesson 6!
👩🏫 Teacher Notes
- This lesson is crucial for cultural safety. Give students permission to choose mihimihi if that feels more authentic to them.
- Some Māori students may not know their whakapapa — this is a result of colonisation and assimilation. Be sensitive to this.
- Non-Māori students showing respect by using mihimihi (rather than appropriating pepeha) is positive.
- Both pepeha and mihimihi are valid expressions of identity in te ao Māori today.
🎬 Media Anchor (8 mins)
Media Anchor: Personal Voice in Mihimihi
- What makes a personal introduction feel authentic in this source?
- Write one mihimihi sentence that sounds like your own voice, not a script.
📋 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.