Cultural Narrative

The naming of the buildings

It has been the Board’s wish to form an ongoing partnership with Ngāi Tahu. Having been gifted our name, we also received advice from Bubba Thompson, our Ngāi Tahu advisor from Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff, about Mahinga Kai and it’s importance to Ngāi Tahu. 

Mahinga Kai is said to be, the “DNA of Ngai Tahu”, it is currency and an integral part of their identity. While the natural resources and the places from where they were gathered are important, so too are the understandings and customs that sit alongside these. It is not just about the kai in our pukus. Also important to Mahinga Kai is: 

• Understanding – the landscape and the ecological systems
• Knowledge – of where to gather food, how much to take, what different places can provide
• Whanaungatanga – the development of relationships between communities as traditionally, people moved around and helped each other out – this always involved a journey, and marriage often helped bond these ties
• Maanaki – the customs (tikanga) of giving to guests/ whanau, giving away your best, and giving even if you have nothing left for you 
• Kaitiakitanga – guardianship, and the importance of managing and protecting the land by treading lightly. This is about thriving by maintaining things that sustain and nourish us and that support wellbeing such as clean water, soil, and shelter. 
• Papatuanuku from the Māori Creation Story. Papatuanuku is the land. She is a mother earth figure who gives birth to all things, including people. Trees, birds and people are born from the land, which then nourishes them
• Living life according to the seasons – closely following the life cycles of plants and animals
• Interconnectedness and interrelationship of all living and nonliving things – it is a cycle … you are born of earth, and you eventually go back to the earth

Mahinga Kai is seen as more than food – it is kai for the ears, kai for knowledge, kai for the soul, kai for storytelling – indeed it is food for life.

This deep understanding of Mahinga Kai provides us with many great opportunities for discovery and for learning at Te Kura O Take Kārara through place-based learning, environmental and sustainability learning, and cultural responsiveness, and importantly it supports us to strengthen our bond with Ngai Tahu

Bubba supported us with the naming of the buildings in our school and the foods gathered at Take Karara were an obvious fit for these. The beautiful manifestations on our windows depicting these food sources were created by the talented Ngāi Tahu artist Simon Kaan. 

Tuna – Year 1 and 2 

Tī Kōuka – Year 3 and 4 

Weka – Year 5 and 6 

Te Pataka was chosen as the name for our Administration building, as this can be seen as a storehouse of knowledge, pukapuka (books), and resources, as well as a place to eat kai.