Mai te Kāhui Tupua ki Hinemoana – From the Mountains to the Sea
Dates: 14 June – 12 October 2025
Duration: 90 minutes
Year Level: Suitable for all year levels
Why are rivers important in Māori culture, and how can we better care for them and the life they support?
What is Te Kāhui Tupua, and why is it significant both culturally and ecologically?
What is the cultural and spiritual significance of harakeke, and what is the proper tikanga for harvesting and using it?
Please join us to experience the He Tukutuku Auahatanga: Maureen Lander with Community exhibition conceived by the celebrated weaver and multimedia artist, Dr Maureen Lander MNZM (Ngāpuhi, Te Hikutū). This exhibition emphasises Lander’s interest in kaitiakitanga, whanaungatanga, the celestial realm, and the connections between whakapapa and raranga. It offers students a unique opportunity to explore ideas around them.
For this lesson we focus on a sculptural installation created in collaboration with Taranaki students from the Te Ara Taiao youth leadership programme. It represents the dreams and aspirations of young people for the health and well-being of the many awa that flow from Te Kāhui Tupua.
In our Learning Centre
Create a class mobile: students activate their new learning and create lines of thread decorated with symbols of creatures, leaves, and other elements that represent the journey of the river from the mountain to the sea
At school
- Poetry: Write poems inspired by the exhibition and its themes.
- Class Mural: Create a mural depicting your local river's journey from the mountain to the sea.
Curriculum links:
- Te reo Māori me ona tikanga
- Kaitiakitanga
- Whakapapa
- Whanaungatanga
Image: Maureen Lander with Te Pi’ipi’inga Kakano Mai Rangiatea, Ko Ngā Puna Waiora o Taranaki (detail), 1993. Photograph: Maureen Lander Archive.