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Kuputaka Glossary

A useful glossary for students, teachers, parents, and facilitators with definitions of all the kupu, terms, acronyms and jargon we may use.

Below are terms and concepts used in particular lessons, themes or across the kete. 

Different ways to be active:

  • tākaro (play)
  • kēmu (game)  
  • hīkoi (walk)
  • oma (run)
  • peke (skip)
  • kutarere (scooter) 
  • paihikara (bike)

 

Related kupu:

  • ākonga (students) 
  • tinana (bodies)

 

Wellbeing with Te Whare Tapa Whā:

  • whare (house model) 
  • taha (sides)
  • whare (house)
  • taha tinana (physical wellbeing)
  • taha hinengaro (mental wellbeing)
  • taha wairua (spiritual wellbeing)
  • taha whānau (family wellbeing)
  • hauora (wellbeing)

Te Whare Tapa Whā is a holistic model of health from a Māori world view. It encompasses more than just physical health as the pinnacle to wellbeing. 
Based on a whare (house model) the taha (sides) of the whare (house) are; taha tinana (physical wellbeing), taha hinengaro (mental wellbeing), taha wairua (spiritual wellbeing) and taha whānau (family wellbeing). You can incorporate these into the Movin’March Learning Experiences. 
For information, go to Hauoraopen_in_new. This also shows the Fonofale model of wellbeing from a Pacific perspective.

• whero (red)
• karaka (orange) 
• kōwhai (yellow) 
• kakariki (green)
• kikorangi (light blue)
• kahurangi (dark blue/indigo)
• waiporoporo (violet)


More colours:
• māwhero (pink) 
• parauri (brown) 
• kiwikiwi (grey) 
• hiriwā (silver) 
• koura (gold)
• pāngo (black)
• mā (white)

The Halberg Foundation has training videosopen_in_new to increase your understanding on how to make your activities inclusive and fun for all students. Watch video 5 “STEP” or all of them.
They demonstrate how to adapt activities and include all ākonga using the STEP Model. This breaks down how to modify activities, while encouraging all ākonga to take part to their fullest. 
It is a strengths-based model, and focuses on adapting: space, tasks, equipment and people.

Walkability and walkable: 
Walkability is how an area supports or encourages walking, by providing pedestrians with a level of comfort and safety.  There are many aspects that contribute to ‘walkability’ such as the walk being pleasant, safe, connected or within a reasonable distance.  People can experience walkability in different ways depending on a wide range of factors that might include: outlook, age, gender, ability, or a sense of belonging.  

The kerb drill: 
» Find a safe place to cross.
• STOP – one step back from the kerb.
• LOOK and LISTEN – for traffic coming from all directions.
• WAIT – if there is traffic coming and then look again.
» If there is no traffic coming:
• WALK – quickly, straight across the road. 
• While crossing, LOOK and LISTEN for traffic, wherever it may come from.

Sneaky driveways: 
These are driveways that are difficult to see down, and it is hard for pedestrians to see cars coming out. Perhaps there are buildings, trees, or fences in the way.  Remember that drivers may also have limited visibility of pedestrians. Discuss with your ākonga how to check these and remind them to stop, look and listen, before crossing. 

Mauri: 
In the Walkability Checklist, ākonga will rate the mauri (life force/energy) of your neighbourhood. They will tick the list of things they noticed that made mauri stronger and the walk more pleasant, or that made the mauri weaker, and therefore, less pleasant. Discuss the concept of mauri with your ākonga, so they gain a deeper understanding. Explain that in te ao Māori (the Māori world view) mauri is the essential quality and vitality of a physical object, individual, ecosystem or social group. It is felt, seen, and heard in the health, beauty and strength of a person or place. For example, if a place has many thriving trees and is filled with birdsong and the local stream runs clean, mauri is strong. If the waterways are fed through pipes, the few 
trees are surrounded by concrete and roads filled with commuting traffic, the mauri is weak. 

Kaitiakitanga: 
This is guardianship and protection. It is a way of caring for the environment, based on the Māori world view. A kaitiaki is a guardian. A person or group that cares for an area such as a lake or forest is supporting the kaitiakitanga of that area. 

Manaakitanga: 
This is hospitality, generosity, support, respect and care for others; nurturing people so that they feel valued and looked after; and encouraging a feeling of belonging in this place. 

Citizenship: 
This is the status of being a citizen. When you have citizenship in a country, you have a right to be there, to do things such as work and vote, to express your thoughts and feelings, and to make a difference there. You also have a responsibility to respect others, to participate, and to contribute. A person exercising citizenship can be defined as someone who contributes to make the group, community, country, or planet a better place to be. 
MEANINGS OF TERMS AND CONCEPTS

 

Active Travel - is an approach to travel and transport that focuses on physical activity (walking and cycling) as opposed to motorised and carbon-dependent means.  

 

Citizenship muscles - These are muscles that are built by using the skills we need to make positive changes in our communities.  See Homepage - Story of Stuffopen_in_new 

 

Concept mapping - This strategy shows what the students know about a topic. It will also prompt them to start identifying the relationships and connections. Concept mapping could be used pre and post learning or as an assessment tool. For a related activity, see (link). 

 

Kaitiakitanga - Guardianship and protection. It is a way of caring for the environment, based on the Mäori world view. A kaitiaki is a guardian such as an Atua (see below) or a person or group that cares for an area such as a lake or forest.   

 

Manaakitanga - Hospitality, generosity, support, respect and care for others. Nurturing people so that they feel valued and looked after. Encouraging a feeling of belonging in this community/place/ planet.  

 

Mauri -The essential vital quality and well-being of an individual, a group, a place or an ecosystem. Understanding the mauri or well-being of a place helps us to see why Kaitiakitanga is important. When mauri is weakened by neglect, overuse or pollution, many other life systems are affected, e.g.: cars and roads and their effect on wildlife and nature. By practising Kaitiakitanga we can help to protect and nurture the mauri of a community and place.  

 

Natural Environment includes - water/land/air and all things living and growing. 

 

Whanaungatanga - Making connections. It is about relationship, kinship, sense of family connection - a relationship through shared experiences and working together which provides people with a sense of belonging. It develops as a result of kinship rights and obligations, which also serve to strengthen each member of the kin group.   

 

Te Taiao - the Environment: 

Air is viewed as a taonga (precious resource) derived from Ranginui (the sky father). Māori legend tells that following the separation of Ranginui and Papatūānuku (the Earth mother) their child Tāwhirimātea fled with Ranginui to his new home in the sky. From there Tawhirimātea controls the wind and elements.  Carbon emissions degrade and lessen the Mauri (life-force) of this Taonga. It also affects the Mauri of other Taonga, for example plants and animals, as all living things need air and all things share the same air.  It’s important to Māori to exercise kaitiakitanga - to be caretakers to protect and maintain the mauri of a place or a precious resource such as clean air. 

 

Primary Source: A primary source is direct or first-hand evidence about an event, object, or person. They include historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts, results of experiments, statistical data, pieces of creative writing, audio and video recordings, speeches, and art objects.  

Secondary Source: A secondary source is one that was created later by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events or conditions you’re researching. For the purposes of a historical research project, secondary sources are generally scholarly books and articles. 

 

Ngā Atua (The Māori Gods)

Atua are elemental identities that tell the story of our environment. 

 

Papatūānuku - the Earth, the mother of all the elements.  

Ranginui - the sky - the father of all the elements. 

Tānemahuta - the male atua of the forest, birds and insects. 

Haumiatiketike - the male atua of uncultivated wild food and ferns. 

Rongomātāne - the male atua of kumara and cultivated foods and the atua of peace. 

Hinepūtehue - the female atua of gourds and their music and peace. 

Tangaroa - the male atua of oceans, rivers and lakes. 

Hinemoana - the female atua of oceans, rivers and lakes. 

Hinepūkohurangi - the female atua of mist. 

Tāwhirimātea - the male atua of the wind. 

Tūmatauenga - the male god of humans, of battle, determination, resilience and leadership. 

 

Children often respond to stories and persona to inspire them to take action for the environment.  To access the creation stories and understanding of the Atua talk to your local Mana Whenua. 

 

 

Benefits of Active Travel: 
  • Mental Health - being outdoors - connecting with others 
  • Fitness - physical exercise 
  • Independence - developing responsibility away from parent and siblings  
  • Fun - meeting friends - enjoying the outdoors  
  • Resilience - being active whatever the weather  
  • Escape - from annoying siblings  
  • Contributing to less carbon in the atmosphere that is causing global warming 
  • Contributing to less pollution in the air  
  • Contributing to a less congested school gate at drop off and pick up times 

 

 

We'll continue to add commonly used terms here, including Te Reo Māori kupu (words).

Please contact us if you would like us to add new kupu or sort these in a more useful way.

In the meantime, check out this amazing glossaryopen_in_new!