Mana Whenua - Taku Kai, Taku Oranga

Strength from/of the Land | Peoples' Sustenance | Peoples' Well-being

Papatuanuku is the mother of us all — our nurturer, our wholeness. She is woven into both our physical and spiritual being, anchoring our connection to the land and to each other.

In a Maori worldview, whenua is not something to be owned in the Western sense. Instead, we belong to the land — we borrow it, care for it, and pass on its stories and responsibilities through whakapapa. The pull of one’s whenua, the connection to one’s marae (sacred meeting grounds), will always draw us home — to place our feet in the soil from which we came. This is our turangawaewae — our place to stand, our place of belonging.

Te Ao Maori sees wahine as life-givers of iwi, guardians of continuity and custodians of knowledge. Mana Whenua – Taku Kai, Taku Oranga is a tribute to wahine Maori — their roles as mothers, nurturers, knowledge holders, life bearers, and protectors of future generations - Kaitiaki o nga Mana Whenua — guardians of the strength and spirit of the land.