From the shallows to the deep—connecting to Mauao with head and heart

Catherine Rolleston, Letitia McFarlane, Karen Attrill, Abbey Collins, Sam Owen, and Nicola Jones

This article stems from participation in a TLRI research study, Renewing Participatory Democracy: Walking with Young Children to Story and Read the Land. It presents an account of the growing awareness of the place-based environmental and cultural relationship between Maunganui Kindergarten and Mauao.

The backdrop—where the story starts

From the playground, the children of Maunganui Kindergarten relish the visual and spiritual presence of Mauao, the maunga of Tauranga Moana (Figure 1). This is where our story begins. It is a story about connection. A journey that initially started as a “walk outside in nature”, focusing on physicality, progressed into a walk that also considered thought, feelings, heart, spirituality and relationships.

Mauao is the central character in a significant pūrākau of Tauranga Moana. Once a sad and lowly mountain of no significance who wished for his own demise, Mauao ended up being regarded as a rangatira, and a symbol of hope for all peoples.

Mauao, the maunga of the tangata whenua of Tauranga Moana, is a “taonga of immeasurable value which symbolises the endurance, strength and identity of local people” (Tauranga City Council, 2018, p. 9). Confiscated after the Gate Pa Wars, he was returned to the three iwi of Tauranga Moana in 2007. The return came with a requirement that a co-management body with iwi representatives and Tauranga City Council be established. In recognition of the ancestral connections, the iwi of Waitaha, Te Puke, also have a representative on Ngā Poutiriao ō Mauao, the joint administrative board.

Our kindergarten is a mixed-age, all-day kindergarten providing care and education for children from infancy to school age. In 2020, our ownership was transferred from the New Zealand Royal Plunket Society to the Tauranga Regional Kindergarten Association. We have a roll of 30 children each day and are open from 7.30am to 5.30pm. The majority of children and teachers are of Pākehā descent. Most of our families are in paid employment. Our priorities for children’s learning are centred on relationships, sustainability, social competence, diversity, and striving to weave te ao Māori naturally into our programme and practices.

Figure 1. A child making the connection from the pūrākau of Mauao to the physical presence

Initially, our excursions to Mauao began after a kaiako had attended an inspiring workshop presented by Robyn Lawrence, titled “Over the Back Fence”. This emphasised the importance of returning to the same place often, so that children have the opportunity to know it well. This workshop was the start of fortnightly excursions to Mauao with our 10 oldest children, and we have been consistently voyaging out ever since. The initial aim of the excursions centred on notions of resilience, the camaraderie of a smaller group, and the physicality of the walks.

The pebble that creates the ripple

All change comes from some sort of impetus and ours began with participating in a Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) project “Renewing Participatory Democracy: Walking with Young Children to Story and Read the Land”. The aim of the project was to explore ways in which walking the land with community members, iwi, and whānau enable young children to experience and learn about their local area and envision democratic socioecological futures. The project also asked how educational practices based on walking the land could build on existing funds of knowledge, integrate these learnings across the curriculum, and foster capacity and sensitivity for democratic practice.

We were prompted to decide on a focus and goals for our excursions. We were also encouraged to seek the aspirations of tangata whenua, which up until then were not formally sought. These prompts became the catalyst for change that led us on a path towards aligning with the aspirations of tangata whenua and connecting to the maunga with depth and authenticity.

We wanted to find a way to include all the strengths and interests of the children and the kaiako, to be open to a very holistic way of being. Te Whare Tapa Whā emerged as an appropriate way to guide and plan our practice. This met our aspirations of being holistic and of ensuring we were including te ao Māori into our practice.

During our quest to fulfil our aims, we have had to learn to “walk” differently. We have come across conflicts of values, viewpoints, and ways of knowing that made us come face to face with our own cultural ways, thoughts, and assumptions that are steeped in our colonial roots. From the initial emotion of humility emerged a developing comfort with the notion of vulnerability and growth. The changes we made did not come naturally or quickly. To be successful, we had to intentionally seek out the knowledge and values of tangata whenua, and continually be reflective and on the lookout for opportunities to enhance our knowledge, understandings, and practices.

Forging new story lines: A new way of seeing, a new way of experiencing

We had previously learnt some of the history of Mauao and the traditional use of the puna (springs) that are found on Mauao. It was with the prompting of researchers, Linda and Raella, that we began our quest to understand the aspirations of tangata whenua for our excursions to Mauao. After all, it was their maunga and we had not sought their views. A democratic society is one that promotes inclusivity and respect for cultural diversity (Moss, 2021).

We often hear of kindergartens or centres that have a kaumatua or kuia who make a regular appearance at a kindergarten, or a kindergarten that has regular visits to a local marae. We have had neither of these relationships. Practising in a way that honoured te Tiriti did not come naturally for any of our kaiako, and all that reflected te ao Māori had to be learnt and practised until there was a head-to-heart connection.

Our connection with tangata whenua was gradual, gained by both formal and informal methods, discussion between colleagues, readings, media, and conversations when attending local events. Significant formal methods included a conversation with the Chairman of Ngā Poutiriao o Mauao, Dean Flavell, and workshops attended at the Natural Phenomena Conference held in Whangārei in November 2022. These two experiences contrasted with our previous worldview and gifted us an invitation to consider alternative understandings.

Pivotal conversations with Matua Dean: New understandings

After a few attempts to connect with tangata whenua, we were lucky enough to secure some time with Dean Flavell, Chairman of Ngā Poutiriao o Mauao (administration board for the Mauao Trust). Central to the Trust’s plans is the protection of the maunga and to recognise and provide for the special cultural and spiritual relationships that tangata whenua have with Mauao (Tauranga City Council, 2018).

Our conversation with Matua Dean was the beginning of our understanding of the reverence held for Mauao and the care we needed to take not to disturb the maunga. Matua Dean asked us to do the following things on our time at Mauao: karakia before and after our visit; personify the maunga, meaning we treat him like an elderly grandfather with the respect and care that entails; and not treat the maunga as an outdoor gym. This conversation started us on a path that would dramatically change the way we viewed and engaged with Mauao.

An awakening of the spiritual and healing properties of nature

Up until 2022, the Natural Phenomena Conference was held outdoors on the outskirts of Whangārei. There were many new learnings and experiences for our team, ranging from learning about maramataka, atua wāhine, and making kawakawa balm, to connecting to nature using all our senses. The area coined the “Wild Woods” was where many of our team experienced their first spiritual connection with nature which was described by one of our kaiako as “overwhelming in a good way”. In one of the workshops, participants were invited to go into the “Wild Woods” to find what they needed in that time of their lives. For one teacher it was stillness and calm, for another it was contentment, and another, acceptance. It would be fair to say that the kaiako were sceptical at the beginning of the workshop and were transformed to believe in the power of, and connection to, nature they felt at the end of this conference. This new understanding was then shared with children by pausing with them on our excursions, sometimes encouraging them to close their eyes, feel and hear the natural world around them, and immerse themselves in the moment (Figure 2).

Figure 2. “I can feel the wind on my face, I can hear the manu”

Te Whare Tapa Whā acts as our rudder on an unfamiliar path

Due to our involvement with Enviroschools, we had renewed our interest in the Māori health model Te Whare Tapa Whā (Durie,1994). We decided to use this model to unpack our excursions, prompting us to consider te ao Māori holistically. The model compares health to the four walls of a house, each necessary to ensure strength and symmetry, “through each wall representing a different dimension of: taha wairua (the spiritual side), taha hinengaro (thoughts and feelings), taha tinana (the physical side), taha whanau (family)” (Durie, 1994, p. 69). Each side of the whare depends on the strength of the others. If one side falters, so do the rest. Considering the importance of the whenua we were visiting, it seemed a natural and logical path to adopt this model and for future learning. This model helped us keep to our vision of being holistic, and weaving te ao Māori into our thoughts and actions (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Model of Te Whare Tapa Whā (Mental Health Foundation, 2023)

The model is pictorialised by the image of a whare connected to the whenua. The whenua we wanted to connect to was Mauao, the maunga of Tauranga Moana. We wanted to do this in a way that honoured tangata whenua and enacted our responsibilities as tangata Tiriti. One of the ways we did this was to honour the original names of the area. Instead of Pilot Bay, we used Waikorire, we used Mauao instead of the Mount, the names of the puna, Waipatukakahu and Wai Tapu, were used in our everyday language. These terms are not common in the non-Māori community of Mount Maunganui. As one of our teachers noted, the children arrive at our kindergarten calling the maunga “the Mount” and they leave calling him “Mauao”.

Another way we respect the whenua is to ensure we do not do any damage to the maunga on our trips. We note where we see erosion and talk to the children about how this is caused (Figure 4). We talk about Mauao needing a rest. When there was community uproar about exotic trees being felled, we were able to share an alternative viewpoint of restoring Mauao to his former glory. We repeated the conversations we had with tangata whenua of how the exotic trees had been taking water from the puna and the leaf fall had been blocking the flow of water. Removal of the trees would enable the mauri of Waipatukakahu to be restored. We are changing the narrative to put the health and wellbeing of Mauao at the forefront of decisions.

Figure 4. Children examine erosion and discuss possible reasons

Observing the middens on the maunga with the children opens a segue into how tangata whenua used to live on the maunga and who of the children could whakapapa to this maunga. For example, on one occasion a child pondered the question of ownership, asking, “Who owns this mountain anyway?” As she was uri of Ngāi Te Rangi, I was able to respond, “You do, you and all of your whānau.” I remember her looking at me, questioning. Perhaps this sowed the seeds for conversations with her whānau.

For the children who do not whakapapa to Mauao, we talk about being grateful that we can visit this maunga and how generous tangata whenua are to share this maunga with us. However, sometimes we still forget we are visitors. We got all excited about notions of kaitiakitanga of the puna and hoped to be involved in planting of the stream. Our offers to the Tauranga Council were politely discouraged as these tasks were for iwi to initiate and manage. We had forgotten in our enthusiasm that we were visitors. The handed down hallmarks of colonisation are not easily shaken off.

One of the first sides of Te Whare Tapa Whā is wairua. Ensuring wairuatanga is included into early childhood services has been a difficult task for mainstream settings. As Bone (2007, cited Rameka, 2015) found, wairuatanga often gets confused with religion and can often be avoided. A significant difference between Western and te ao Māori beliefs is the relationship between people and the natural world. As Rameka (2015) explains, from a Māori viewpoint, people are not superior but related “through whakapapa to all aspects of the environment, themselves imbued with spiritual elements” (p. 84). In contrast, a Western perspective sees the separation of people from land.

Karakia was one of the ways we started to weave wairuatanga into our excursions. At our kindergarten, we karakia at the start and end of day, and before meals, but had not thought to karakia on excursions. Karakia can be the acknowledgement of the place you are in, a way to connect to the natural world, to remove any constrictions and clear any bad wairua (Opai, 2021). Initially, we were using a generic karakia because this was one we already knew. It was only from a conversation between the head teacher’s whānau, who are uri of Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Ranginui, about their annoyance of “tick box” karakia, that we started to reflect on the karakia we used and how we could be more authentic in our approach. Another reminder was that even with the best of intentions, Pākehā can act in colonising ways. The head teacher asked her daughter to create a karakia for us and was told quite firmly to “go away and do your own work, decide what you want to say and why and then come back for guidance”. This journey has not come without some confronting lessons but we learn from them and move on.

We began then to think about creating our own karakia. As part of our research, Linda and Raella asked us to consider democratic practice (Moss, 2021). It seemed a logical step to ask the children what they would like to say to Mauao. By this stage the children had taken to personifying Mauao like a duck takes to water. We sat with the children on several occasions, using photographs of our excursions as provocations, to discuss with them what they would like to say to Mauao. They came up with statements such as “I love you Mauao”, “We won’t take anything from you Mauao,” “We will pick up any rubbish we see” (Figure 5). We combined these aspirations with the thoughts of kaiako, which were to ensure tangata whenua were acknowledged, an expression of gratitude, and to uphold the aspirations expressed to us by Dean Flavell. Having attempted to put something together, we took our draft to our head teacher’s daughter, who kindly put it together in the appropriate format. We now use this karakia on our outings to Mauao.

Figure 5. We gathered children’s thoughts about what they would want to say to Mauao

Ko Ranginui e tū iho nei

Ko Papatūānuku e takoto ake nei

Toitū te marae a Tāne Mahuta

Toitū te marae a Tangaroa

E Mauao e

Anei mātou o hoa e tuku nei i te aroha nui

Haumi e, hui e, taiki e

We acknowledge Ranginui above us

We acknowledge Papatūānuku below us

Let the realm of Tane Mahuta be sustained

Let the realm of Tangaroa be sustained

Oh Mauao

Here we stand, your friends, sending you our love and gratitude

Let us join, gather, unite.

Acknowledging Ranginui and Papatūānuku at the beginning of the karakia denotes an adherence to tikanga Māori, as this union is the beginning of life. Children of the kindergarten are also very familiar with the atua of Ranginui and Papatūānuku as they are mentioned in karakia timatanga and karakia kai daily. The kindergarten also has a book for children depicting many of the atua. A firm favourite is a book entitled Papatūānuku has a Tummy Ache, which talks about rubbish in the whenua and what happens when it floods.

The next part of the karakia acknowledges the hopes and aspirations of us all—for Tangaroa and Tāne Mahuta to thrive and be healthy. It is also formatted to show whakapapa, with Ranginui and Papatūānuku being the parents of Tangaroa and Tāne Mahuta. This relates to the pledges from the children not to leave rubbish, care and respect for everything growing, and removing anything that would cause harm to the whenua (Figure 6). As Mauao is surrounded by the ocean and harbour, we are also concerned about keeping the waters clean and healthy. Once again, the children are familiar with the atua of Tangaroa and Tāne Mahuta as we include them in our centre programme through waiata, conversation, and story.

Finally, the reference to the children and teachers being the friends of Mauao, sending their love and gratitude, shows the respect we have for tangata whenua by overtly acknowledging their status and our status as visitors.

As with many karakia, intentions are important. We take time with this karakia. Signalling through body language, tone, and our own intentions can demonstrate to children the significance of this time. As well as karakia, we talk with the children about how grateful we are to be on Mauao and take time to consider what we learnt and enjoyed.

Figure 6. Children are encouraged to observe with care

The use of the water to whakanoa (cleanse) from the Wai Tapu puna strengthened our practice even further. This came about by being at this puna ready to recite our karakia when we were joined by a couple from the community. The children and the teachers watched as they used the water to whakanoa and we asked if they could share with us the purpose of using the water in this way. Since that day, we too have been using the water from this puna to whakanoa (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Children use the wai to whakanoa before the start of their haerenga

Personification of Mauao started perhaps by “going through the motions” as it wouldn’t have been a natural practice for our teachers to refer to Mauao as a “he”. However, as our journeys progressed, and knowledge was gained; we began to feel a deeper connection to nature and personification began to feel comfortable. It seemed to be easier for the children. Perhaps they are more comfortable with and easily accept seeing the natural world as a living entity than the teachers who have had more time to be socialised into Western beliefs of separation between humans and nature. We have heard children say, “Look there is Mauao, he will be missing you” and “I think Mauao likes the trees, that is why Tawhirimatea blows them on Mauao.”

Tinana is the second side of the whare. This was the easiest side of Whare Tapa Whā to consider. Children have been challenging themselves by climbing across ledges, up banks, across streams since we began our journeys. Connell and McCarthy (2013) remind us how important risk taking is for learning, noting that a child’s growth and development depends on being on the edge of discovery, constantly stretching current abilities to learn new abilities (Figure 8). The result is children finding the courage to try, perseverance to try again, and practising decision making.

Figure 8. The unpredictability of nature hones a child’s physical skills

What did change was consideration to the whenua. Children would sometimes try to go up small paths that had been created by members of the public, but it was easily seen that these paths were causing erosion to the maunga. Up until very recently, a favourite part of our trip was to climb up a bank behind a pohutukawa tree that tilted out over the path. We tried hard to suppress the niggling thought that we should not do this because we loved the challenges it brought. However, when we stopped and fully considered how to respect the maunga and to put the health of Mauao at the forefront of our decisions, we also ceased this practice. We can find another place to do these things.

Hinengaro, the third side of the whare, refers to the thoughts and feelings of the children while on our journeys. On our journeys, we make sure there is time for emotional wellbeing. Children are encouraged to take their time; it is more about the journey than the destination. There is time to remove their shoes, to feel the ground beneath their feet, and to be more observant of their surroundings.

Significant to this part of the model was ensuring all children could participate on our journeys. At times we have found the most challenging child in the kindergarten would excel on our outings due to their physical strength, courage, and tenacity. For example, we had one child who we were hesitant to take on our trips. He had challenging behaviour, often aggressive and confrontational to teachers and children. However, on outings, we could see he was in his element. He was more physically capable than the other children and he turned into their leader and supporter, often showing children how to climb or manage their surroundings. The kaiako could see these children beam with happiness, at last their skills could shine!

Figure 9. Taking time for hinengaro

There also has been an abundance of learning opportunities we have undertaken since our research project began, including learning about tuna, wetlands, kawakawa balm, observational drawing, collages, and enacting pūrākau. Much of this work was inspired by our learnings at the Natural Phenomena Conference.

By inviting whānau on our outings, we are making a wider impact, taha whānau. Parents are by our side, listening to our karakia, watching the children use water to whakanoa, using the original Māori names, talking about tangata whenua who own and once resided on this maunga, and greeting Mauao as you would visiting your koro on a summer’s day. This is new information and ways of being for many of our families.

We have had positive feedback from our whānau. Parents were interviewed by Linda and Raella as part of our TLRI project and the feedback spoke of the kindergarten acting as a gateway for their family to understand more about Mauao, his history, and a way to enhance their understanding of te ao Māori. One of our parents said, “One of the things we just absolutely adore about this centre is the connection to the local area from a te ao Māori perspective.” It was also evident that families had a sense of pride that their children could use some kupu Māori. A parent who is tangata whenua said she felt a sense of comfort that her child got to explore a “significant landmark for us as a whānau” and enjoyed the way her daughter spoke of Mauao with knowledge and ownership saying, “she knows more about Mauao than we do”.

When thinking about taha whānau, we also consider all the interactions that we have had in the community and the professional development we have undertaken. The important element was to be constantly seeking for possibilities for new learning and to create relationships with our community. It also needs to be realised that this is not an overnight journey. It is a continuing journey to seek out and understand other world views, to unpack your own cultural lens, and understand how to walk in a way that is honourable.

It cannot be stressed enough the importance of early childhood teachers to take up the opportunity for professional development and the special importance of research in our settings. Many of the changes we have made may not have come about without the “push” from the researchers. That is the gift of working with people who sit outside of your kindergarten and sit alongside you for a good period of time. It is accountability that cannot be avoided.

The result of our work is that the children and teachers at Maunganui Kindergarten have developed meaningful connections with the natural world and more specifically Mauao. Our journeys are no longer just a walk in nature; we have connected with “head and heart”. Our tamariki Māori have their cultural practices normalised in our kindergarten setting and our hope is for tamariki Māori that their sense of identity and place is strengthened. As Rameka and Paul-Burke (2015, p. 267) note, “reclaiming traditional Māori ways of knowing, being and doing is critical to reimaging young Māori children, reframing their realities, and transforming their worlds”.

For tangata Tiriti, they have the privilege to learn different ways of being and knowing and feel comfort in doing so. As teachers, we understand our journey is lifelong as we continue to be open to new learnings, taking direction from those for whom these practices come naturally. We hope that we are influencing the next generation to feel comfort and ease with the obligations consistent with being tangata Tiriti and a citizen of Aotearoa.

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge with thanks the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative for funding this research project. Acknowledgement is also given to the research team—Linda Mitchell (project leader), Bronwen Cowie (project leader), Raella Kahuroa, Hoana McMillan, and Karaitiana Tamatea. We acknowledge families and children at Maunganui Kindergarten and Inspired Kindergartens for their support.

References

Connell, G., & McCarthy, C. (2013). A moving child is a learning child. Free Spirit Publishing Inc.

Durie, M. (1994). Whaiora: Maori health development. Oxford University Press.

Mental Health Foundation. (2023, September 24). Te whare tapa whā. https://media.mentalhealth.org.nz/4881/conversions/ResizedImage600600-GTT-PARENTING-Tiles-1080x1080-te-whare-1-medium.jpg

Moss, P. (2021). Democracy as first practice in early childhood education and care. In R. E. Tremblay, M. Boivin, R. DeV. Peters (Eds.), J. Bennett (Topic Ed.), Encyclopaedia on early childhood development (online). https://www.child-encyclopedia.com/child-care-early-childhood-education-and-care/according-experts/democracy-first-practice-early

Opai, K., (2021). Tikanga. An introduction to te ao Māori. Upstart Press.

Rameka, L. K. (2015). Te ira atua: The spiritual spark of the child. He Kupu. The Word, 4(2), 82–92.

Rameka, L., & Paul-Burke, K. (2015). Re-claiming traditional Māori ways of knowing, being, and doing, to re-frame our realities and transform our worlds. Counterpoints, 500, 261–271. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45178218

Tauranga City Council. (2018). Mauao historic reserve management plan. https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/data/council/plans/files/mauao-reserve-management.pdf

Written by the teachers of Maunganui Kindergarten: Catherine Rolleston (head teacher, corresponding author), Letitia McFarlane, Karen Attrill, Abbey Collins, Sam Owen, Nicola Jones.

Email: catherine.rolleston@ikindergartens.nz