Puna mātauranga
Mahi tahi me te whānau kia noho haumaru ai ngā tamariki
Tamariki in New Zealand are six times more likely to die from avoidable injuries at home than European children. They are twice as likely to be hospitalised for these types of injuries. Not only are inequities like these a bad thing in themselves, they're inconsistent with our responsibilities under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document. The commitments made in it require the health system to achieve equitable health outcomes for tamariki and in doing so, embrace Māori cultural concepts, values and practices.
Indigenous knowledge is an underutilised resource, all too often excluded from injury prevention. We believe traditional Māori intelligence (māramatanga) as well as mātauranga (wisdom) provide unique insights and the opportunity to create innovative solutions to overcome the persistent child injury inequities that exist for tamariki.
In 2019, Safekids Aotearoa set out to embrace mātauranga Māori and what follows are some of the fruits of that effort.
Mahi tahi me te whānau kia noho haumaru ai ngā tamariki
(Working together with families to prevent child injuries)
A kaupapa Māori approach was adopted to surface mātauranga Māori on parenting, safety and child and family well-being. Through ongoing collaboration, these insights were linked with existing child injury prevention best-practice. What's emerged are developing indigenous perspectives on keeping children safe from injuries. These perspectives were then incorporated into video resources, including a pūrākau (story), waiata (song) and children's panel.
Our process to date has had tino rangatiratanga firmly and humbly in mind. No single community, hapu or iwi claims to have all the answers for all New Zealanders or all Māori. And while Safekids Aotearoa can claim some expertise in child unintentional injury prevention we also know what we have started is just a beginning. So we offer what we have, in the humble hope it may go on and take flight. Sharing, promoting and championing this material will we hope, bring forward more local mātauranga and māramatanga across Aotearoa.
Read on to find the resources below.
Safekids Aotearoa Mātauranga Resources are produced in partnership with
Our new content:
Pūrākau Trailer: Kia tau te Maungārongo ki te kainga tau ana - Injury Prevention (Want to share on Facebook? Click here)
Pūrākau: Kia tau te Maungārongo ki te kainga tau ana - Injury Prevention
He Maungārongo Ki Te Kāinga Tau Ana + Waiata: Kia tau e Rongo
Kia Tau e Rongo (Māori Subtitles) - Injury Prevention
Kia Tau e Rongo (English Subtitles) - Injury Prevention (Want to share on Facebook? Click here)
Kia tau e Rongo - Beginners Guitar tutorial (English)
Download PDF : Chords & Lyrics sheet>>Kia tau - Play Through and Guitar Tutorial
Download PDF : Chords & Lyrics sheet>>Māori messages for falls prevention Kids Panel (Want to share on Facebook? Click here)
These beautiful tamariki share their thoughts and ideas about what messages they understand and took away from the "he maungārongo ki te kainga tau ana" pūrākau and "kia tau e Rongo" waiata.
Ririki Haumaru
Safekids Aotearoa kaimahi and partners
Safekids and ACC share why te reo Māori is important to them
Lilla (Materoa) Te Tai & Sonny Niha's share mātauranga insights on injury prevention
Meet Lilla (Materoa) Te Tai & Sonny Niha of the Kaunihera Kaumātua ki Auckland DHB and Members of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori Taumata Advisory Group.
Listen to them speak about karakia, whakataukī and tikanga as ways of keeping the whānau and wairua safe.
Blackie Tohiariki on traditional knowledge and whakapapa as tools for injury prevention
Meet Blackie Tohiariki, member of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori Taumata Advisory group, and hear him discuss the importance of using traditional knowledge found in old prayers to ensure the well-being of tamariki. By connecting to their ancestors, tamariki are able to access ancient proverbs and knowledge to stay safe within the family and the home.
Hokipera Ruakere-Papuni tikanga o te Marae and atua connections for injury prevention
Meet Hokipera Ruakere-Papuni, Kidsafe falls prevention facilitator - Hapu Wananga ki Taranaki and Member of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori Taumata Advisory Group. Listen to her speak about the application of Marae tikanga (safe practices) in the home, as well as other culturally derived child safety practices.
Lilla (Materoa) Te Tai Tū Hokianga Waiata
Lilla Te Tai shares her pepeha
We have the privilege of sharing this waiata Tū Hokianga beautifully sung by Lilla (Materoa) Te Tai.
Te pepeha a Hokipera Ruakere-Papanui
Hokipera Ruakere-Papuni shares her Pepeha
Hokipera shares her connections to Puketapu of Te Atiawa and Ngā mahanga a Tairi of Taranaki.
Ngā rauemi ā-ipurangi (online resources)
Meet our Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori Taumata Advisory Group
Introducing our Mātauranga Māori leaders and experts who share insights on preventing injury with Māori practices.
Te Pepeha a Blackie Tohiariki
Introducing Blackie Tohiariki and his connections to Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa, Te Arawa and Te Whānau-ā-Apanui.
POSTER: Tikanga-ā-atua to keep tamariki safe
Whaia ngā tikanga ki a noho haumaru tātou. Ka taea e tātou te whakauru i ngā tikanga o ngā tīpuna hei awhi ia tātou ki te poipoi me te tiaki i a tātou tamariki.
Our atua narratives teach us alot about our environment, behaviours & practices to keep our tamariki safe, come and learn what our tīpuna tikanga were to nurture & keep our tamariki safe.
POSTER: Ngā Karakia me ngā waiata inform safe practices and learnings
Ma ngā karakia me ngā waiata e arahi i a
tātou ki a noho haumaru ngā tamariki mai i ngā whara i roto i o tātou kainga.
Important knowledge can be found in karakia and waiata that helps to keep tamariki safe from injuries in our home.
POSTER: Whakatauki - Tamiti ako ana i te kainga, tū ana ki te Marae tau ana
A child reared at home will stand on the marae with dignity.
This whakatauki informs practices at home that can strengthen the growth, development and participation of tamariki in society and on the marae. Tikanga implemented in the home enable tamariki to navigate their world and the marae safely.
H M Mead (2003), describes whakatauki and pepeha as the sayings of ancestors the reflect the thoughts and aspects of Māori culture, history, religious life, conduct, ethics and many more handed on through oral literature on the marae or through generations. The content of these sayings indicate cultural attributes and practices which are adaptable to situations in our present-day.
Te Whiti's whakatauākī
Mātauranga Whakatauākī: Clay Will Never Stick To Iron
POSTER: Whakatō i ngā tikanga o te marae ki roto I tō kainga kia haumaru ngā tamariki.
Our pūrākau He Maungarongo ki te kainga tau ana presents ways to translate tikanga from the marae into our homes as mechanisms to keeping our tamariki safe.
POSTER: Ko te papa te wāhi haumaru mo tō pēpi
This poster shares with whānau that the floor is the best place for your pēpi. It encourages connecting with Papatūānuku, their parent during tummy time, changing nappies and even clothes instead of change tables and baby walkers.
VIDEO: Blackie Tohiariki shares a karakia for injury prevention kaimahi, hui and te wiki o te reo Māori.
We share this openly with the hope that it is used widely by all.
Lilla (Materoa) Te Tai I taku tūranga ake Waiata
We have the privilege of sharing this waiata I taku tūranga ake beautifully sung by Lilla (Materoa) Te Tai.
Māori-centred, Māori owned websites
Pēpi penapena
Pūrākau provide oral histories and stories of parenting methods used by our tūpuna the myths and legends of old provide the blueprints for parenting practices.
Ranginui. Image credit: Warren Pohatu http://warrenpohatu.blogspot.com/
S.K.I.P Whakatipu
Whakatipu provides parenting resources that seek to encourage strong whānau connections that will nurture and develop tamariki. Tikanga and pakiwaitara are reflected in child development information and activities for whānau.
Whakatipu seeks to help tamariki and mātua (parents) learn together at every age and stage of development.
Visit site
Traditional Māori Parenting Rangahau (Research)
Provides insights through “A historical review of literature of traditional Māori child rearing practices in Pre-European times.
How children learn about responsibility "Tuakana-teina" rīpoata (report)
This report shares insights on tuakana-teina relationships implemented by non-Māori into their early learning centre that served as a powerful learning too for helping, sharing and responsibility with others and the environment.
Kia maanu kia ora Māori approach to water safety
A Kaupapa Māori drowning prevention programme in Bay of Plenty delivered by Water Safety New Zealand alongside
Tangaroa ara rau, a collective of Māori who focus on the philosophy; ki uta ki tai (from the mountains to the sea) when thinking about Māori water safety
Water Safety New Zealand reveal insights on the process they undertook to implement a kaupapa Māori approach to water safety and the prevention of drownings.
The Wai puna model has been fundamental in Water Safety New Zealand’s journey to implement a Kaupapa Māori approach to water safety for Māori and was developed by Māori researcher Dr Chanel Phillips.
Water safety knowledge wellspring
Research: Rangahau A Journey to Belonging: Explorations of Māori Perspectives of Water Safety
A journey to belonging: explorations of Māori perspectives of water safety. Chanel Phillips 2018