Tracing the rhythm of learning, leadership, and light.
The poutama pattern — woven through tukutuku, raranga, and whakairo — anchors the Manawa Kōkopu approach to growth and transformation. These ascending steps represent aranga — the movement of life, knowledge, and being — unfolding through learning, reflection, whakapapa, and wānanga.
Within every ascent lies the memory of Tāwhaki and Tāne-nui-a-Rangi, who each climbed to Tikitiki-o-rangi (also known as Te Toi-o-ngā-Rangi or Te Tihi-o-Manono) in search of Ngā Kete o te Wānanga and the Whatukura — sacred vessels of wisdom. Their haerenga reminds us that the pursuit of knowledge is both sacred and demanding: a journey of whakatutuki, whakaarotau, and whakaaro nui — achievement, alignment, and discernment.
He Tauparapara o te Poutama – Ancestral Incantation
Tēnei au, tēnei au, tēnei au, te hōkai nei i taku tapuwae,
Ko te hōkai-nuku, ko te hōkai-rangi,
Ko te hōkai a tō tupuna a Tāwhaki i pikitia ai,
Ki te rangi-tū-haha, ki Te Tihi-o-Manono,
I rokohina atu rā ko Io-te-matua-kore anake,
I riro iho ai ngā kete o te wānanga:
Ko te kete Tuauri, ko te kete Tuaatea, ko te kete Aronui.
Ka tiritiria, ka poupoua ki Papatūānuku,
Ka puta te ira tangata ki te whaiao, ki te ao mārama!
Here am I, here am I, here am I — moving swiftly by the power of my incantation.
Swiftly moving over the earth, swiftly through the heavens —
the same swift movement of your ancestor Tāwhaki who climbed to the sacred heavens,
where he encountered Io-the-parentless alone.
He brought back the baskets of knowledge —
the Basket of Sacred Knowledge (Tuauri), the Basket of Light (Tuaatea), and the Basket of Humanity (Aronui).
These were distributed and planted in Papatūānuku,
so that humankind might emerge into the dawn, into the world of light.
This tauparapara invokes the cosmological ascent from Te Kore to Te Pō to Te Ao Mārama — from potential, to becoming, to illumination. Tāwhaki’s climb symbolises the eternal ascent of consciousness: the human desire to understand, to integrate, and to act in alignment with the divine pattern of life.
Each step of the poutama is thus more than decorative. It embodies a rhythm of whakatipu — growth through challenge, reflection, and return — and it reminds us that ascent is always balanced by stillness. Between each step, there is a papa — a plateau — a space to rest, reflect, and recalibrate before the next rise.
He Aranga Ako – The Rhythm of Ascent
The poutama teaches that learning and leadership unfold through alternating patterns of movement and pause — the ascent (piki aranga) and the plateau (whakatā). It is in these moments of stillness that reflection matures into wisdom and readiness for the next step is formed.
In the Manawa Kōkopu approach, this rhythm appears across frameworks such as Whakatipu: Ako Rhythm™ and He Anga Whakatere: A Reflective Framework for Transformational Ascent™. Learning moves through the same cosmological pattern:
- Te Kore – the realm of potential and possibility, where ideas are seeds.
- Te Pō – the realm of becoming, where understanding forms through reflection and relationship.
- Te Ao Mārama – the realm of illumination, where insight is lived and shared through practice.
Each ascent reflects piki aranga, the spiral journey of becoming — where mōhiotanga (awareness) deepens into mātauranga (understanding), and ultimately into māramatanga (wisdom).
He Tohu Poutama – Symbolism and Design
The poutama is also a design language within Manawa Kōkopu’s visual identity. Its stepped pattern reflects the pursuit of layered wisdom, where knowledge is both ancestral and emergent. The recurring triangle — strong and grounded — symbolises the union of mind, body, and spirit, and the interconnection of fire, water, air, and earth.
In tāniko and raranga, triangular forms often signify the quest for knowledge of the natural world, while also representing balance, manifestation, and enlightenment. The upward movement of the pattern speaks to intentional ascent, while the resting platforms between each rise embody the essential rhythm of pause and reflection.
The pyramid shape within the Manawa Kōkopu logo echoes these meanings: a vessel of mana motuhake and protection, embodying both stability and elevation — the grounded flight of insight.
He Wairua o te Poutama – A Living Metaphor
To live poutama is to recognise that learning is sacred movement.
It requires humility in stillness, courage in ascent, and generosity in return.
In the words of our tīpuna, Tāwhaki did not climb for himself alone — he climbed to bring knowledge back to earth, to share, to embed, to grow the ira tangata.
Likewise, every ascent we take — in learning, leadership, or life — is a contribution to the greater pattern of whaihua: the pursuit of meaningful growth that benefits others.
Closing Reflection
The poutama reminds us that wisdom is not achieved through dominance or perfection, but through rhythm — through steady ascent and conscious return.
Each step honours the continuum of whakapapa — from the unseen to the seen, from Te Kore to Te Ao Mārama.
As we climb, may we do so with ngākau māhaki and whakawhirinaki — humility and trust — remembering that every ascent is a shared journey of light and transformation.
Ka puta te ira tangata ki te whaiao, ki te ao mārama –
May our humanity arise into the dawn, into the world of light.
Further Exploration
Explore how poutama lives within Manawa Kōkopu Consultancy Services and each of the Kura Poutama – Poutama IQ Ascent Series™ pathways.
Image credit: Tahere, M. (2025).
Author: Megan Tahere. (2025).