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Māori Storytelling Traditions

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Māori Storytelling Traditions

Read the original classroom story and use its details to answer the questions. The story is a contemporary fictional example, not a traditional Māori pūrākau. Māori communities are diverse; follow the guidance of relevant iwi and knowledgeable cultural practitioners when sharing cultural knowledge.

Read the story

The Path Beside the Stream On Saturday morning, Hana and her cousin Wiremu followed a narrow track beside the stream near their grandparents’ home. They were carrying a kete and a list of native plants to identify for a community planting day. Their koro had told them that his own grandparents used to gather food along this waterway, and that looking after it was part of caring for the place their whānau belonged to. At a bend, Hana spotted a small patch of fresh mud where the bank had slipped. Water was cloudier than it had been upstream. Wiremu wanted to keep walking, but Hana suggested they stop and look carefully. They noticed that rainwater from a bare slope was running straight into the stream. Neither cousin knew exactly how much damage the slip had caused, so they did not try to fix it themselves. They took a note of the location and told their koro what they had observed. He listened, then explained that the stream connected many generations of their whānau to the whenua. He suggested they speak with the local kaitiaki and the planting-day organisers before deciding what to do. Together, they could learn which native plants would help hold the bank and how to care for the water safely. At the planting day, Hana shared what she had seen, making it clear which parts were her own observations and which came from her koro. The group planned to seek local advice before planting. As Hana placed a label beside the kete, she thought about how a story could carry more than an exciting event: it could pass on a relationship with a place and a responsibility to care for it.

Explore the story

Use evidence from the story. For questions asking you to explain, support your idea with a detail or quotation.

1.Which choice best describes one important purpose the story suggests storytelling can serve?

To give a precise scientific report of every stream
To pass on connections to place and responsibilities across generations
To prove that young people should always ignore advice
To describe a planting day without revealing anyone’s values

2.Find one detail showing that Hana and Wiremu’s relationship with the stream reaches beyond their own experience. Explain what the detail suggests.

3.Match each te reo Māori word used in the story with its meaning in this context.

whānau
whenua
kaitiaki
kete

land
basket
guardian or caretaker
family or extended family

4.Hana says what she observed and what she heard from her koro. Give one example of each, and explain why keeping these sources clear matters.

5.What is the effect of telling the story from close to Hana’s point of view? Use one moment from the story to support your response.

6.The story moves from a walk, to noticing a problem, to seeking advice, to sharing at the planting day. Which stage creates the main turning point, and why?

7.True or false: The cousins immediately plant whatever they think will stabilise the bank.

TrueFalse

8.The story is described as contemporary fiction, not a traditional Māori pūrākau. Why is that distinction important when discussing Māori storytelling traditions?

9.Write a 120–160-word continuation. Hana speaks with someone knowledgeable about the stream and learns what happens next. Show how dialogue, a specific detail of place, and a thoughtful decision can develop the story’s themes. Do not invent or claim sacred cultural knowledge.