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From our beginnings, the story of AKA Education Group has been growth. Growth as an organisation, incorporating a wider and wider range of providers, has brought with it a growth of understanding and a widening of perspective, embracing the diversity of our courses and the diverse students that come with them, while also recognising our roots and groundedness in Aotearoa and what makes us unique.
It is for this reason that we are known as ‘AKA’ – te reo for ‘vine’, a plant that draws life from the earth and, with support, grows towards the light.
The next step in our growth is to foster and nurture a distinctly AKA tikanga (culture / agreed set of customs, meanings, ways of acting). To do this we proudly introduce ‘Sow Nurture Grow’. This strategy aims to build a unique AKA culture by fostering an environment that recognises the importance of honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles and tikanga Māori in our everyday operations, while also raising awareness and appreciation of the diverse cultures represented by our staff and student body, and the communities we engage with.
The first step of this strategy is to ‘sow’ the seeds – to build both staff and student capability to integrate a range of karakia (non-denominational prayer used to invoke guidance and protection) and waiata (songs) into our daily practice, along with individual pepeha (introduction / story of the places and people you are connected to) and simple mihi (greetings).
From this basis we will nurture our and grow our capability as we more fully integrate this tikanga into the daily life and culture of our schools.
We are excited to start this journey and look forward to sharing its progress with you.
KARAKIA
At AKA we use karakia timatanga (opening a meeting/class) for establishing a respectful atmosphere aligning participants with the goal of the meeting or class.
We use karakia whakamutunga (closing a meeting/class) for acknowledging the purpose of the meeting/class and sending participants on their way.
We use karakia mō te kai to bless food we are about to eat.
Our karakia are non-denominational.
Karakia Timatanga
(To open a meeting or start the day)
Whakataka te hau ki te uru
Whakataka te hau ki te tonga
Kia mākinakina ki uta
Kia mātaratara ki tai
E hī ake ana te atakura
He tio, he huka, he hau hū
Tīhei mauri ora!
Cease the winds from the west
Cease the winds from the south
Let the breeze blow over the land
Let the breeze blow over the ocean
Let the red-tipped dawn come with a sharpened air
A touch of frost, a promise of a glorious day.
Karakia Whakamutunga
(To close a meeting or close the day)
Unuhia, unuhia
Unuhia ki te uru tapu nui
Kia wātea, kia māmā, te ngākau, te tinana, te wairua i te ara tangatā
Koia rā e Rongo, whakairia ake ki runga
Kia tina! TINA! Hui e! TĀIKI E!
Draw on, Draw on,
Draw on the supreme sacredness
To clear, to free the heart, the body and the spirit of mankind
Rongo, suspended high in the heavens
Draw together! Affirm
Karakia mō te kai
(To bless food)
Nau mai e ngā hua
o te wao
o te ngakina
o te wai tai
o te wai Māori
Nā Tane
Nā Rongo
Nā Tangaroa
Nā Maru
Ko Ranginui e tū iho nei
Ko Papatūānuku e takoto nei
Tuturu whakamaua
Kia tina! TINA! Hui e! TĀIKI E! I
Welcome the gifts of food
From the sacred forest
From the cultivated gardens
From the sea
From the fresh waters
The food of Tane
Of Rongo
Of Tangaroa
Of Maru
I acknowledge Ranginui who is above me,
Papatuanuku who lies beneath me
Let this be my commitment to all
Draw together, Affirm
WAIATA
A Ha Ka Ma
(Pronunciation Waiata)
A ha ka ma
A ha ka ma na pa ra ta wa nga wha
E he ke me
E he ke me ne pe re te we nge whe
I hi ki mi
I hi ki mi ni pi ri ti wi ngi whi
O ho ko mo
O ho ko mo no po ro to wo ngo who
A E
A E I O U
U hu ku mu
U hu ku mu nu pu ru tu wu ngu whu.
Tutira mai nga iwi
Tūtira mai ngā iwi,
tātou tātou e
Tūtira mai ngā iwi,
tātou tātou e
Whai-a te marama-tanga,
me te aroha - e ngā iwi!
Ki-a ko tapa tahi,
Ki-a ko-tahi rā
Tātou tātou e
(Repeat)
Tā-tou tā-tou e E!!
Hi aue hei!!!
Line up together people
All of us, all of us
Stand in rows people
All of us, all of us
Seek after knowledge
and love of others - everyone
Think as one
Act as one
All of us, all of usAll of us, All of us!!
Hi aue hei !!!
Te Aroha
Te aroha
Te whakapono
Te rangimarie
Tātou, tātou e
Love
Faith
Peace
For us all
Ehara i te mea
Ehara i te mea
Nō inaianei te aroha
Nō ngā tupuna
I tuku iho, i tuku iho
This is not a new thing,
Love
It is handed down from our ancestors
Pepeha
A pepeha serves to introduce oneself by sharing ancestral connections, place of origin, and significant landmarks, grounding individuals within their Māori cultural identity. This is how Māori make connections to each other. Non-Māori can also use pepeha to introduce themselves, and share their ancestral connections.
Pepeha can be as basic or extensive as the individual would like. Pepeha is also used as part of a mihi.
Watch this video to learn more about Pepeha.
Here is the structure of a Basic Pepeha (some also refer to this as a mihi)
Tēnā koutou katoa
Ko ____________ te māunga
Ko ____________ te awa/roto/moana
Ko ____________ te waka
Ko ____________ tōku iwi
Nō ____________ ahau
Ko ____________ tōku ingoa
No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa
Greetings to you all
The mountain that I connect to is _________________________
The river/lake/sea that I connect to is ____________________
The waka that I connect to is ____________________________
My tribe is _____________________________
I am from _____________________________
My name is ____________________________
Therefore, greetings again
Here are some other possible pepeha for Pākeha and Tauiwi (non-Māori), you may choose from either - whichever resonates with you the most - but keep in mind to start and end with a greeting.
OPTION 1:
(Credits: Auckland Public Libraries)
Tēnā koutou katoā
Nō____________ ōku tīpuna
Ko ____________ rāua ko____________ ōku kaumatua
I tipu ake au ki ____________
E noho ana au ki ____________
Ko tēnei taku mihi ki ngā tāngata whenua o te rohe nei
Ka mihi hoki au ki ngā tohu o te rohe nei
Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa
My ancestors are from _________________________
___________ and ______________ are my grandparents
I grew up in________________________
I live in __________________________
I acknowledge the indigenous people of this area
I acknowledge the important landmarks of this area
Therefore, greetings again
OPTION 2:
(Credits: Auckland Public Libraries)
Tēnā koutou katoa
Ko____________ te maunga e rū nei taku ngākau
Ko____________ te awa e mahea nei aku māharahara
Nō ___________ ahau
E mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o __________ e noho nei au
Nō reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa
_____________ is the mountain that speaks to my heart
_____________ is the river that alleviates my worries
I am from ___________
I recognise the ancestral and spiritual landmarks of ______________ where I live
Therefore, greetings again
