Te Ao Māori Values Matching Game — He Kēmu Tūāhuatanga
Ko ōu uara, ko koe · Learning te ao Māori values through matching activity · Years 7–9
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga · Learning Intentions
- Learn and correctly match at least 12 core te ao Māori values to their English meanings and examples.
- Understand how these values operate in daily life and community contexts.
- Practise using te ao Māori values vocabulary accurately.
- Connect values to current events or personal experiences.
Paearu Angitu · Success Criteria
- At least 12 values are correctly matched with meanings and real examples.
- At least 3 values are explained in the student's own words (not just the definition).
- At least one value is connected to a personal experience or current event.
- Students can explain why these values matter to Māori communities today.
Ngā Uara · Value Cards — Draw lines to match
Draw a line from each te reo Māori value to its English meaning. Use pencil so you can correct as you go.
Te Reo Māori
English Meanings
He Papamahi · Matching Grid — Record your answers
Write the correct English meaning next to each value. Then add a real-world example of your own.
| Value | English meaning (your words) | Real-world example |
|---|---|---|
| Manaakitanga | ||
| Kaitiakitanga | ||
| Whanaungatanga | ||
| Rangatiratanga | ||
| Kotahitanga | ||
| Aroha | ||
| Mana | ||
| Tapu | ||
| Utu | ||
| Mauri | ||
| Tikanga | ||
| Whakapapa |
Tīpakohia, Whakamāramahia · Choose and Explain
Choose 3 values that interest you most. Explain each one in your own words — not just the definition, but what it means in practice.
Value 1:
In my own words:
Value 2:
In my own words:
Value 3:
In my own words:
Hononga ki tōu Ao · Connection to Life
Choose one value and describe a time when you have seen it in action — in your community, in the news, in your school, or in your own life.
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Curriculum alignment for this handout has not yet been verified against the live curriculum statements. A generated placeholder that stood here was removed on 2026-08-29 because it matched no real statement.
Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts
Why do you think these values are best understood in te reo Māori rather than just in English translation? What gets lost when you only use the English?
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
These values are not just vocabulary words — they are a framework for living. Manaakitanga is not simply "hospitality": it is the recognition that the mana of those you welcome reflects back on your own. Kaitiakitanga is not simply "environmentalism": it is the understanding that you have been entrusted with something sacred, by those who came before and those who will come after. Learning these values in te reo Māori is learning them in the language in which they make full sense — the language that has carried them for generations, and in which their relationships and obligations are embedded.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Resources already provided
- te-ao-maori-cultural-concepts-word-search-unit1.html — reinforces vocabulary recognition for the values learned here
- pepeha-builder-template-unit1.html — puts these values into practice through personal pepeha construction
- unit-1-whakapapa-poster-template.html — extends understanding of whakapapa as a living values framework
- tikanga-scenarios-decision-making-unit1.html — applies these values to real-world decision-making scenarios
Curriculum alignment
- Focus of this resource: Understand how cultural identity shapes participation in society — whakapapa, tikanga, and mana as foundations of Māori identity in Aotearoa New Zealand.