Wānanga as a State of Being

Arising from wānanga with self and knowing, reflection becomes rhythm and knowledge becomes light. An affirmation: Iho Taketake, Aranga Motuhake — follow your intrinsic blueprint toward extraordinary (Tupara & Tahere, 2019).

Wānanga is often spoken of as an event — a gathering of people in shared learning, reflection, and exchange. Yet beneath its everyday use lies something far deeper: wānanga as a state of being — a living rhythm of vibration, consciousness, and remembrance that transcends time and space. It is both the current and the conductor, a resonance that continues to move through us.

To live in wānanga is to live in continual relationship with emergence — where wairua (spirit), rongo (sound), and hā (breath) illuminate the unseen and the seen, and give space to the past, the present, and the future.

Te Wai o te Ira Tangata — The Waters of Becoming

Creation flows gently from wairua — the two interwoven waters: te wai o te ira wahine (the sacred feminine current) and te wai o te ira tāne (the sacred masculine current). Within their meeting lives both te ira atua (the spiritual essence) and te ira tangata (the human essence). These foundational energies are united — affirming the human capacity to carry spiritual lineage, embody earthly presence, and lead with integrity grounded in both.

From this unique union, potential stirs, and life begins its ascent from Te Kore (the realm of pure potential), through Te Pō (the realms of becoming), toward Te Ao Mārama (the world of enlightenment and form). Wairua, the non-physical spirit, awakens with the formation of the eyes — a threshold of becoming, and the human journey of perception and consciousness begins.

Within the womb, the pēpi (baby) develops in the first and highest university — a living wānanga where the most intricate and incredible development occurs. Suspended within waikahu (amniotic fluid / water) and embraced by Te Whare Tangata — the womb and creative potential of women — also known as Te Kōpū o Papatūānuku, the cosmic womb from which all life is birthed — the pēpi grows within a sacred rhythm of nourishment and vibration. Te Kōpū o Papatūānuku reminds us that the earth is not only a mothering presence but the generative source whose womb sustains cycles of birth, growth, and renewal. Within Te Wāhi Ngaro — the concealed, intuitive, and sacred dimension of Te Whare Tangata — the pēpi is immersed in Te Kore and Te Pō, realms where potential, intuition, and wairua reside, awaiting emergence into Te Ao Mārama.

Every vibration becomes curriculum. The pēpi learns rhythm before language, resonance before logic. The intergenerational wealth and momentum of whakapapa (genealogy) unfolds.  

Pūmotomoto — The Tradition of Transmission

Among the ancient practices that honour this founding wānanga is the use of pūmotomoto — a long, single-holed flute-like instrument through which oriori (lullabies) and mōteatea (chants) are imparted to mokopuna (descendant).

The pūmotomoto carries vibration through sound and breath, transmitting ancestral knowledge into the pēpi. It is placed upon the mother’s puku (abdomen) during pregnancy so that the unborn child might absorb the resonance. After birth, the same kōrero (narrative) through rangi (tune) are directed toward the anterior fontanelle of the pēpi — a space that remains open for up to nineteen months. This fontanelle, also called pūmotomoto, is recognised as a hononga (connection) to Te Ao Wairua — a channel through which the mokopuna receives vibration, memory, and ancestral guidance.

A newborn remains able to communicate with their tīpuna through the open fontanelle, functioning as a living portal between worlds — a place of vibration and transmission grounded in whakapapa. Through the pūmotomoto, knowledge is not merely taught but woven into the wairua and ngākau (heart, mind, and soul) of the mokopuna.

Ngā Ihirangaranga — The Vibrations of Connection

The essence of this practice is ngā ihirangaranga — the vibrations that weave through existence. Ihi is the energetic spark; rangaranga the interlacing threads that connect all living things. These vibrations are not metaphorical; they are the living hā of creation itself.

When we gather in wānanga, we do not simply speak — we resonate. The words, energies, gestures, and silences we share are all forms of vibration that ripple through time, reactivating ancient memory within modern bodies.

Just as the pūmotomoto transmits knowledge through breath and sound, the iho — the central portion of the umbilical cord — reminds us of this continuum. It represents both essence and exertion: the axis between worlds, binding us to both our ancestors and our descendants. Learning and creation alike require this active flow of energy and breath — a living reminder that ka puta te ira tangata ki te ao mārama: life, knowledge, and potential emerge through movement.

Wānanga as Frequency and Flame

To live in a state of wānanga is to live attuned to vibration — to walk consciously between the seen and unseen. Wānanga means higher and sacred knowledge, and to recite that knowledge. Extending from this, the word itself carries layers of meaning: wā refers to time, space, and rhythm; nanga evokes immersion, absorption, and deep reflection. Together, wānanga becomes the act of dwelling in wisdom, not merely discussing it.

In this way, wānanga can be understood as both a field and a frequency — a space of heightened awareness where knowledge, energy, and purpose align. It is as present in the silence between breaths as it is in the collective of voices around a table.

Courageous kōrero — the willingness to bring our authentic selves into dialogue — is essential to this rhythm. It calls forth kaha (strength), otherwise understood as kā hā — the glowing essence. When we bring kaha into wānanga, we invoke not dominance or ego but vitality and vulnerability; not assertion, but illumination. It is the radiant potency that emerges when reflection, rhythm, and resonance move in composition.

Kaupapa-Aligned Frequency — Wānanga for Intergenerational Wealth

In the context of Kaupapa Māori practice, wānanga as a state of being calls us to shift beyond outcomes and into alignment. It requires us to be conscious of what we are transmitting — the vibrations, intentions, energies, and impacts that will ripple through generations.

To engage in wānanga is to breathe life into kaupapa for the advancement of all — to elevate not just individual understanding but whānau (family), hapū (sub-tribe), and iwi (tribe) wellbeing. The purpose of wānanga is not simply the accumulation of knowledge and knowing; it is the activation of whakapapa in service of kaupapa. It strengthens whakawhanaungatanga (establishment of relationships), revitalises wairua, rebalances mauri, and regenerates mana motuhake (identity and authority) through shared reflection.

True wānanga does not end when the hui concludes. It continues in the stillness of night, in the return to daily practice, in the echo of insights that find us days or weeks later. It is not an event to attend, but a rhythm to embody.

Takarangi — The Spiral of Continuance

The takarangi — a double spiral pattern — embodies the sacred relationship between Ranginui (the Sky Father) and Papatūānuku (the Earth Mother). It represents the eternal movement between the celestial and the terrestrial, between potential and manifestation, between spirit and form. The interlocking spirals convey that growth is not linear but cyclical — a sequence of expansion, pause, and return.

Takarangi mirrors the essence of wānanga: a continuous spiral of reflection and renewal. As we ascend toward enlightened understanding, we also descend toward matured grounding. Each cycle invites us to pause, breathe, and recalibrate — to find balanced momentum  between striving and stillness, remembering that illumination arises not only from ascent, but from the quiet spaces in between.

Where Ancestral Knowledge Meets Quantum Understanding

Modern science, too, is beginning to speak in ways that echo these ancestral understandings. Within quantum physics and string theory, all matter is understood not as static substance but as vibration — strands of energy in constant motion, shaping form through rhythm and resonance. The universe, at its smallest scale, hums. Every atom, every particle, is a pulse of frequency, weaving the fabric of existence much like the interlaced threads of takarangi. From this view, creation is not a one-time event but a continual process of vibration becoming visible — a dance between energy and awareness that reflects the essence of wānanga itself.

Reflection for Leaders

• What does it mean for me to lead from a state of wānanga — to listen deeply, to sense rhythm before response, and to move from coherence rather than control?
• How am I nurturing the wairua of the spaces I influence — ensuring they revitalise, not deplete, the people within them?
• In the unfolding of my own poutama, where am I being called — to return to curiosity, humility, and reverence for learning?

Further Exploration

Partner with Manawa Kōkopu to co-create wānanga spaces that awaken reflection, rhythm, and resonance — cultivating alignment, connection, and conscious leadership grounded in Kaupapa Māori values and intergenerational wellbeing.

Image credit: Tahere, M. (2025).

Author: Megan Tahere. (2025).