Exploring alignment between leadership, life, and the lunar phases.
In the modern world, time is often treated as something to manage, measure, or maximise. We fill calendars, track productivity, and move between moments shaped by the rhythm of the clock. Within a Māori worldview, however, time is not linear — it is rhythmic, relational, and alive — guided by observation, pattern, and presence.
Maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar, offers Indigenous intelligence — one that observes the movement of the moon and its influence on the rhythms of te taiao, and in turn, us. It reminds us that energy, like time, is cyclical. There are days for activation and days for stillness, for gathering and for letting go. Each phase of the moon carries its own mauri, guiding when to expand, when to rest, and when to reflect.
Across Aotearoa, a range of Maramataka are being shared and revitalised to support contemporary wellbeing and leadership practice. These living systems arise from localised observation and deep connection to place — each one grounded in its own whakapapa and environmental indicators. Each region, iwi, and hapū holds its own Maramataka shaped by the unique relationships between land, water, and sky.
The Phases of Energy and Action
Each marama phase carries its own mauri. Whiro signals stillness and reflection — a time for planning and replenishment. Rākaunui glows with fullness and outward energy — a phase for expression and momentum. Mutuwhenua marks integration and renewal before the cycle begins again.
Traditionally, Maramataka guided planting, harvesting, fishing, and rest — practices that sustained both people and whenua. Today, these same rhythms can support leadership, learning, and wellbeing.
Maramataka invites us to live in rhythm — to restore awareness of timing, knowing when to act, when to pause, and when to replenish.
Leadership in Rhythm
In Kaupapa-Aligned Leadership™, rhythm is a practice of attunement. Leadership is not constant output; it is the conscious alignment of energy, awareness, and timing. Maramataka provides a way to sense and respond to these shifts — to lead in coherence with the phases of activity, reflection, and renewal that exist within all systems.
When teams operate in constant activation, mauri fragments. But when mahi is planned in rhythm with natural energy, clarity strengthens, wellbeing deepens, and collective flow emerges.
Maramataka provides a practical framework to weave rhythm into daily mahi:
- Planning and wānanga: Hold key gatherings or strategic discussions during expansive phases to amplify connection and creativity.
- Team rhythm: Recognise energetic ebb and flow; adjust expectations during quieter phases to support focus and reflection.
- Decision points: Use reflective phases for review and recalibration, rather than reaction or haste.
Maramataka becomes a strategic partner — a guide for when to engage, when to listen, and when to rest.
Wellbeing as Rhythm
Maramataka also restores a sense of balance between doing and being. In contemporary life, rest is often treated as absence — something to earn after work is done. Yet within these lunar rhythms, rest is recognised as an integral part of vitality and creation.
Observing lunar phases supports hinengaro (mind), tīnana (body), and wairua (spirit) to operate in coherence. During darker phases, stillness becomes intentional; during bright phases, momentum is embraced without depletion.
Many wellbeing initiatives now draw on Maramataka principles, encouraging reflection, planning, and reconnection through the cycles of the moon. These approaches remind us that mauri ora is sustained when we live in tune with our own rhythm — not in competition with it.
Rest is rhythm. Through the wisdom of Maramataka, wellbeing finds its natural cycle of balance and flow.
Integration into Practice
Integrating Maramataka into leadership and wellbeing begins with observation. By noticing patterns of energy in ourselves, our teams, and te taiao, we begin to move with awareness rather than urgency.
Drawing on contemporary interpretations shared across Aotearoa (Te Tira Āhupae, 2024; Tū Āke Mana, n.d.; All Right?, n.d.), simple entry points include:
- Rhythmic planning: Align project or hui cycles with expansive phases to support clarity and engagement.
- Wellbeing reflection: Use marama phases as a compass for rest, learning, or reconnection.
- Cultural connection: Share Maramataka practices with whānau and rangatahi to strengthen rhythm literacy and belonging.
- Environmental awareness: Observe local indicators — tides, winds, stars, bird movement — to refine awareness of your own ecological rhythm.
These actions are not prescriptive. They are pathways to reconnection — gentle invitations to notice and align with the patterns that already hold us.
Rhythm as Reciprocity
Guided by Maramataka, leadership and time become relational. Action and reflection move in partnership, each nourishing the other. Leadership grounded in rhythm restores balance, coherence, and care — not only for outcomes but for the mauri of people and place.
This space offers a starting point for reflection and exploration — an invitation to find individual resonance within these cycles. Maramataka is a living taonga, learned through observation, humility, and respect. As we attune to its wisdom, we strengthen our capacity to move with the world rather than ahead of it.
To lead in rhythm with Maramataka is to remember that leadership, like the moon, moves through phases — each one necessary, none permanent.
Reflection for Leaders
- In what ways does your current rhythm of leadership align — or misalign — with the natural cycles around you?
- How might observing the phases of the moon, tides, or seasons inform your timing, energy, and decision-making?
- What rituals or pauses help you sustain mauri ora in yourself and those you lead?
Further Exploration
All Right? (n.d.). Maramataka. https://www.allright.org.nz/tools/maramataka
Te Tira Āhupae. (2024). Maramataka: Integration into practice. https://www.tetiraahupae.ac.nz/maramataka
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa. (n.d.). Maramataka. https://matariki.twoa.ac.nz/maramataka/
Tū Āke Mana. (n.d.). Ngā mahi ā rēhia: Whakarakeitanga – Maramataka. https://touakemana.co.nz/nga-mahi-a-rehia/whakarakeitanga/maramataka/
Image credit: Tahere, K. (2025). Used with permission.
Author: Megan Tahere. (2025).