Where mātauranga is activated, not just learned
The image accompanying this article was taken by my mokopuna, Chayton Mankelow (11), while out exploring Pākihikura — the newly developed Ōpōtiki Harbour. As the oldest mokopuna, he carries a natural leadership role, setting an example for his younger siblings, uncles, and cousins. While guiding his siblings and showing them how to jump and balance through the space, he was drawn to the environmental landscape and paused to capture this photo. He also reflected on how his mātauranga grows through his engagements with whānau, te taiao, and his kura kaupapa Māori schooling journey — sharing that he thought the sky looked beautiful and the sunset was “awesome". This moment captures something essential to the development of mātauranga, the experience of awe, and the shaping of leadership — the way kōrero, lived engagement, observation, relationship with the natural world, and personal reflection weave together to shape how we come to know, understand, and be in the world.
This personal reflection mirrors the very foundations of kaupapa Māori epistemology — where knowledge grows through lived relationships, experience, observation, and reflection, shaping both who we are and how we lead.
At the heart of Kura Poutama lies a layered Māori epistemology — the ways knowledge is generated, valued, and lived. This approach honours the unfolding of mātauranga through interconnected dimensions:
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Developmental cosmology – Te Kore, Te Pō, Te Ao Mārama: the origin, becoming, and illumination of being.
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Epistemic realms – Mōhiotanga, Mātauranga, Māramatanga: the emergence, expansion, and transformation of knowledge.
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Energetic states of being – Mauri Moe, Mauri Oho, Mauri Ora: the presence, activation, and vitality of mauri.
These interwoven knowledge systems bridge cultural integrity with contemporary practice. Learning is an energetic, relational, and spiritual process — moving through wairua, hinengaro, and ngākau. Grounded in atua, elemental energies, core values, and ancestral memory, learning does not simply transmit knowledge — it generates alignment.
Insight, in this view, is not passive content; it is a living current — a catalyst for purposeful leadership grounded in rhythm, resonance, and kaupapa-aligned action (Marsden, 2003; Nepe, 1991).
As Royal (2005) emphasises, mātauranga Māori rests on the idea that knowledge and experience are inseparable — insight arises through relational engagement, embodied rhythm, and ongoing practice. Hikuroa (2017) echoes this view, describing mātauranga as a rich, empirical system of knowledge underpinned by long-standing whakapapa to place, narrative, and observation.
The Poutama IQ Ascent Series reflects these foundations: knowledge is not merely learned; it is activated through whakapapa, wānanga, and intentional alignment. In this space, epistemology becomes practice — a rhythm of knowing, being, and leading that is lived every day.
Reflection for Leaders
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How does the way you come to know shape the way you lead?
Further Reading
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Mātauranga Māori – the ūkaipō of knowledge in New Zealand – Hikuroa (2017)
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Te toi huarewa tipuna: Kaupapa Māori, an educational intervention system – Nepe (1991)
References
Hikuroa, D. (2017). Mātauranga Māori—the ūkaipō of knowledge in New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 47(1), 5–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/03036758.2016.1252407
Marsden, M. (2003). The woven universe: Selected writings of Rev. Māori Marsden (T. A. C. Royal, Ed.). The Estate of Rev. Māori Marsden.
Nepe, T. M. (1991). Te toi huarewa tipuna: Kaupapa Māori, an educational intervention system [Master’s thesis, University of Auckland]. http://hdl.handle.net/2292/3066
Royal, C. (2005). Exploring Indigenous knowledge. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5369700de4b045a4e0c24bbc/t/53fe8e69e4b0516a0c4ffd85/1409191555871/Exploring+Indigenous+Knowledge
Image credit: Mankelow, C. (2025). Used with permission.
Author: Megan Tahere. (2025).