Māori Environmental Whakataukī

Name:

Date:

🌿 Part 1: Understanding Whakataukī

Whakataukī are traditional Māori proverbs that contain wisdom about the natural world and our relationship with the environment. Read each whakataukī below and answer the questions.

1. "He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata."

Translation: What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.

This whakataukī emphasises the importance of people and community in caring for the environment.

How does this relate to environmental stewardship in agriculture?

2. "Ko au te taiao, ko te taiao ko au."

Translation: I am the environment, the environment is me.

What does this whakataukī suggest about the relationship between humans and nature?

Humans are separate from nature

Humans and nature are interconnected

Humans control nature

Nature is more important than humans

3. "Whatungarongaro te tangata, toitū te whenua."

Translation: People pass away, but the land remains.

How might this whakataukī influence decisions about nitrogen fertiliser use on farms?

4. "Manaaki whenua, manaaki tangata, haere whakamua."

Translation: Care for the land, care for the people, go forward.

Which of these actions would align with this whakataukī? (Select all that apply)

Planting riparian strips along waterways

Using excessive nitrogen fertilisers

Managing farm effluent properly

Ignoring water quality monitoring

🌊 Part 2: Connecting to the Nitrogen Cycle

5. "He wai kino rānei, he wai pai rānei, mā te tangata e whakatau."

Translation: Whether water is polluted or clean, it is for people to decide.

Explain how this whakataukī relates to nitrogen run-off from Canterbury dairy farms:

6. "Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua."

Translation: I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past.

How could traditional Māori land management practices inform modern sustainable agriculture? Give two examples:

Example 1: _________________________________________________

Example 2: _________________________________________________

7. "He taonga te wai, he taonga te whenua."

Translation: Water is a treasure, land is a treasure.

If water and land are treasures, how should this influence farming practices regarding the nitrogen cycle?

Use maximum fertiliser for highest profits

Balance productivity with environmental protection

Focus only on short-term gains

Ignore environmental regulations

🌱 Part 3: Applying Māori Values to Science

8. Choose one whakataukī from this worksheet that you think is most relevant to managing nitrogen pollution in New Zealand. Explain your choice and describe how this wisdom could guide scientific decision-making about agriculture and the environment.

9. Create your own environmental action plan inspired by Māori values. List three specific actions that farmers, scientists, or communities could take to protect water quality while maintaining productive agriculture:

Action 1: _______________________________________________

Action 2: _______________________________________________

Action 3: _______________________________________________

10. Reflection: How do Māori environmental values complement scientific understanding of the nitrogen cycle?