Whakataukī: Māori proverbs and what they mean

A whakataukī is a Māori proverb: a short, often metaphorical saying that carries a lesson, used in formal speeches and in everyday talk. The best known include Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi (with your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive) and He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata (what is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people). Below are 24 well-known ones, grouped by occasion, each with a literal translation, its meaning, when it suits, and the published source its wording comes from.

Updated 7 October 2026 · 15 min read

Tap 🔊 to hear an example. Māori examples play Papa Reo, the te reo Māori voice made by Te Hiku Media from recordings of native speakers.

What is a whakataukī?

Te Aka Māori Dictionary defines whakataukī as a proverb, significant saying, formulaic saying, cryptic saying, aphorism, and adds that, like whakatauākī and pepeha, they are essential ingredients in whaikōrero, formal speechmaking. Massey University puts it more simply: whakataukī are used in both formal speeches and everyday conversation.

Most work by metaphor. A proverb about an old fishing net is about a generation of leaders; one about a small bird climbing a tall tree is about effort. That is why a word-for-word translation is rarely enough, and why each entry below gives the literal sense and the meaning separately.

Whakataukī or whakatauākī: what is the difference?

Many teachers draw a simple line. Stacey Morrison, writing in the New Zealand Herald, explains that with a whakatauākī (note the extra long ā) the person who first said it is known, while with a whakataukī the author is not. Māori Language.net draws the same distinction.

Te Aka Māori Dictionary does not separate them that way. It lists the two words as synonyms, with pepeha, and describes whakatauākī as proverbs particularly those urging a type of behaviour. So you will see both words used for the same saying, and neither use is a mistake. In this guide a saying is called a whakatauākī where a published source names who said it.

A pepeha is a related form. Hirini Moko Mead and Neil Grove’s Ngā Pēpeha a ngā Tipuna: The Sayings of the Ancestors (Victoria University Press, 2001) gathers more than 2,500 of them, and the Royal Society Te Apārangi describes them as more than proverbs: they include charms, witticisms, figures of speech and boasts. Te Aka defines pepeha as a tribal saying, tribal motto or saying of the ancestors. The pepeha you give to introduce yourself has its own guide.

Whakataukī about teamwork and working together

Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi

Literally: with your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive. A rourou is a small food basket plaited from flax.
Meaning: everyone has something to contribute. Poutama Pounamu explains it this way: working alone might mean survival, but working together takes people beyond survival to prosperity.
When to use it: thanking the people who contributed to a project, opening a shared venture, or a team email after a joint effort.
Source: worded as above by Poutama Pounamu. Te Ao Māori News uses Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi, which puts my basket first. The sources here name no author.

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari taku toa he toa takitini

Literally: my strength is not the strength of one, but my strength is the strength of many. Takitahi is single, individual; takitini is many.
Meaning: success belongs to the group that made it possible.
When to use it: accepting an award or praise, thanking your whānau at a graduation, crediting a team.
Source: Te Aka Māori Dictionary, which translates it my strength is not that of one but of many.

He waka eke noa

Literally: a canoe that everyone can board. Te Aka gives a canoe free for all to embark.
Meaning: we are all in this together. Te Aka notes that a waka was used by the whole community, so the saying can mean what’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is yours; Stacey Morrison describes it as a spirit of unity and a shared journey.
When to use it: a shared challenge, an all-staff message, a community effort. The Herald notes that members of Parliament use it too.
Source: Te Aka Māori Dictionary.

Ki te kotahi te kākaho ka whati, ki te kāpuia, e kore e whati

Literally: if there is but one toetoe stem it will break, but if they are together in a bundle they will never break. Kākaho are the stems of the toetoe plant.
Meaning: there is strength in unity.
When to use it: bringing groups together, starting a partnership or a merger, encouraging a team before something hard.
Source: a whakatauākī. Te Aka attributes it to King Tāwhiao: Nā Kīngi Tāwhiao tēnei tongi, this saying is by King Tāwhiao. Te Aka defines a tongi as a prophetic saying by a charismatic leader, a Tainui word.

Whakataukī about leadership

Ka pū te ruha, ka hao te rangatahi

Literally: when the worn-out net lies in a heap, the new net goes fishing.
Meaning: one generation hands over to the next. Te Aka gives rangatahi as both a fishing net about 20 metres long and the younger generation, which is the whole point of the saying.
When to use it: a retirement, a handover to new leadership, a speech to young people stepping up.
Source: Te Aka Māori Dictionary, under ruha and rangatahi; no author is given.

Mā pango mā whero ka oti te mahi

Literally: by black and by red the work will be finished. Te Aka translates it by red and by black it will be accomplished.
Meaning: in Te Aka’s words, the populace along with leadership will get the job done.
When to use it: thanking everyone who worked on something, from the people in charge to the people doing the work.
Source: Te Aka Māori Dictionary.

Waiho mā te tangata e mihi

Literally: leave it to other people to acknowledge you.
Meaning: be humble and let others sing your praises.
When to use it: a reminder about modesty in a speech or a reference; a gentle answer when someone asks you to talk yourself up.
Source: Te Aka Māori Dictionary, which translates it leave acknowledgements for someone else.

Whakataukī about perseverance and aiming high

Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tuohu koe me he maunga teitei

Literally: pursue the precious thing; if you bow, let it be to a lofty mountain. Iti kahurangi is something of great value and tuohu is to stoop, bow down or give in.
Meaning: aim for excellence, and if you fall short, let it be because the goal was great. Te Aka offers shoot for the stars and you might hit the moon as the English equivalent.
When to use it: graduations, prizegivings, a card for someone starting something ambitious.
Source and versions: this wording is Te Aka’s proverb entry. Te Aka also quotes Whāia e koe te iti kahurangi; ki te tuohu koe, me maunga teitei, and Stacey Morrison gives Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe, anō he maunga teitei. All three are in published use.

He iti te mokoroa nāna i kakati te kahikatea

Literally: small is the mokoroa, yet it is what bit the kahikatea. The mokoroa is the caterpillar of the pūriri moth, which gnaws into trees; the kahikatea is a towering forest tree.
Meaning: something that looks insignificant can bring down the mighty. Te Aka adds the other side: something tiny can also harm something important.
When to use it: celebrating an underdog, a small team or school that punched above its weight.
Source: Te Aka Māori Dictionary.

Itiiti rearea, teitei kahikatea ka taea

Literally: although the rearea is small, it can reach the lofty heights of the kahikatea.
Meaning: Massey University tells the story behind it: the ancestors watched the small rearea fly up, hover and drop back, again and again, until it reached the top of the kahikatea to feed. If a small bird can reach its goal with that much effort, so can we.
When to use it: encouragement before exams, a competition or any long task.
Source and versions: Massey University. Te Aka gives it as Iti rearea teitei kahikatea ka taea.

Kei mate ā-tarakihi koe, engari kia mate ā-ururoa

Literally: you should not die like the tarakihi, but rather die like the shark. The tarakihi is a fish; the ururoa is the white shark.
Meaning: never give in; fight to the end. Te Aka calls it a whakatauākī to exemplify courage.
When to use it: a team talk, or encouraging someone in a long, hard fight.
Source and versions: Te Aka Māori Dictionary, quoting a source from 1906. A shorter form compares the shark with the octopus: Māori Language.net gives Kia mate ururoa, kei mate wheke, fight like a shark, don’t give in like an octopus.

Whakataukī about people and relationships

He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata

The second half is said often on its own: Stacey Morrison quotes Jacinda Ardern using it as a prime minister, and notes that it is only one part of the saying. Te Ara gives the whole of it like this:

Unuhia te rito o te harakeke, kei hea te kōmako e kō?
Ui mai ki ahau, ‘He aha te mea nui o te Ao?’
Māku e kī atu, ‘He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.’

Literally: if you remove the central shoot of the flax bush, where will the bellbird find rest? If you were to ask me what is the most important thing in the world, I would reply: it is people, it is people, it is people. (Te Ara’s translation.)
Meaning: people matter above all else. The flax bush stands for the family: Te Aka, citing Te Ara, explains that the rito, the centre shoot, is the child, protected by the leaves around it, the parents, with the ancestors as the outer leaves.
When to use it: speeches about community, health, education or service; staff and volunteer thank-yous; eulogies for someone who lived for others.
Source and attribution: a whakatauākī. Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori published a 2019 article by Whakaata Māori that attributes the words to Meringaroto, an ancestress (tupuna kuia) of Te Taitokerau, Northland, and says they hang on the walls of Whakaata Māori. Stacey Morrison writes the name Meri Ngāroto, and quotes a descendant’s fuller version beginning Hutia te rito o te harakeke, kei whea te kōmako e kō. Both opening verbs mean to pull out: Te Aka gives huti, passive hūtia (the published versions of the saying write it without the macron), and unu, passive unuhia. Whea is the western-dialect form of hea, where.

He hono tangata e kore e motu, kāpā he taura waka e motu

Literally: a human bond will not be severed, unlike a canoe rope, which will.
Meaning: the ties between people, and their whakapapa, last. Te Aka compares it to blood is thicker than water.
When to use it: family reunions, weddings, farewelling a colleague you will stay in touch with.
Source: Te Aka Māori Dictionary. Massey University lists it too, translated unlike a canoe rope, a human bond cannot be severed.

Ahakoa he iti he pounamu

Literally: although it is small, it is greenstone.
Meaning: a small gift can be precious. Massey University translates it although it is small it is a treasure.
When to use it: on a card with a small gift or a koha, or in thanking someone for one.
Source: Massey University’s list of whakataukī aroha, proverbs about love.

E koekoe te tūī, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū

Literally: the tūī chatters, the kākā cackles, the kererū coos.
Meaning: every voice is different and every voice should be respected. Massey University reads two lessons in it: it takes all sorts to make a world, and variety is the spice of life.
When to use it: about diversity, a team with different strengths, a classroom.
Source and versions: Te Aka Māori Dictionary. Massey University gives E koekoe te kōkō, e ketekete te kākā, e kūkū te kererū; kōkō is another name for the tūī.

Whakataukī about learning and education

Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nōna te ngahere, ko te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga, nōna te ao

Literally: the bird that feeds on the miro berry, the forest is its; the bird that feeds on knowledge, the world is its. The miro is a forest tree whose berries kererū eat.
Meaning: the Ministry of Education translates it the forest belongs to the bird who feasts on the miro berry, the world belongs to the bird who feasts on education.
When to use it: graduations, prizegivings, scholarship letters, the start of a school year.
Source: worded as above by the Ministry of Education’s NCEA resources. Stacey Morrison attributes it to Te Kete Ngātaierua, a Ngāti Hauā prophet and master carver, which makes it a whakatauākī.

Whaowhia te kete mātauranga

Literally: fill the basket of knowledge. Whao is to put into or fill, and a kete is a basket.
Meaning: keep learning; fill your mind with knowledge.
When to use it: schools, libraries, the start of a course, a message to a student.
Source and versions: Massey University, which used it in its 2012 Māori Language Week list. Te Aka’s proverb entry spells it Whaowhina te kete mātauranga.

Tangata i ākona ki te kāinga, tū ana ki te marae, tau ana

Literally: a person taught at home stands on the marae with composure.
Meaning: what you learn at home, among your own people, is what makes you capable in public. Te Aka translates it he who learns at home is adept when standing on the marae.
When to use it: about parents and whānau as teachers, or learning te reo at home.
Source: Te Aka Māori Dictionary.

Whakataukī for grief, eulogies and farewells

Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui a Tāne

Literally: a tōtara has fallen in the great forest of Tāne.
Meaning: a great person has died. Te Ara explains that the tōtara is a symbol of a great chief, and that this expression describes the death of a chief.
When to use it: a eulogy, a condolence message or an obituary for a respected elder or leader.
Source and versions: Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. A recording on the same Te Ara story says it as Kua hinga te tōtara o Te Waonui o Tāne.

Ka ngaro he tētēkura, ka whakaete mai he tētēkura

Literally: as one fern frond disappears, another one thrusts upward.
Meaning: when a leader dies, a younger one rises to take their place. Te Aka notes that tētēkura means both a young frond and a chief.
When to use it: a eulogy that also looks forward, or acknowledging those who will carry on someone’s work.
Source and versions: Te Aka Māori Dictionary, quoting a source from 1900, notes that the saying has several wordings, among them Mate atu he tētēkura, whakaete mai he tētēkura.

Rārangi maunga tū i te ao i te pō. Rārangi tangata ngaro noa ngaro noa.

Literally: a range of mountains stands by day and by night; a line of people is lost, simply lost.
Meaning: people are not permanent. Te Aka: a mountain range stands for eternity but people will die.
When to use it: a eulogy or a memorial, especially one that speaks of the land a person came from.
Source: Te Aka Māori Dictionary.

Toitū te whenua, whatungarongaro te tangata

Literally: the land remains while people disappear from sight.
Meaning: a reminder that a life is not forever, and the land outlasts us.
When to use it: a eulogy; also about land, conservation and the care of a place for those who come after.
Source and versions: Te Aka’s proverb entry. Te Aka also quotes another wording, Toitū he kāinga, whatungarongaro he tangata, land remains while people disappear.

Whakataukī about the environment and home

Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au

Literally: I am the river and the river is me.
Meaning: the people and the river cannot be separated. In full, as the Act gives it: E rere kau mai te Awa nui, mai i te Kāhui Maunga ki Tangaroa. Ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au, the Great River flows from the mountains to the sea. I am the River and the River is me.
When to use it: this is not a general proverb but the Whanganui pepeha, as the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement) Act 2017 calls it: the saying of the iwi and hapū of the Whanganui River. It is widely quoted about the bond between people and the natural world; when you quote it, name Whanganui, as the Act does.
Source: the Te Awa Tupua Act 2017, which recognises the river as a legal person and lists the saying among the values at its heart.

Hokia ki ō maunga kia purea koe e ngā hau a Tāwhirimātea

Literally: return to your mountains, so that you are purified by the winds of Tāwhirimātea. Tāwhirimātea is the atua of wind and storms.
Meaning: go home to where you are from, to be refreshed and renewed.
When to use it: someone going home for the holidays, a break after a hard stretch, a message about wellbeing.
Source: Te Aka Māori Dictionary.

How to use a whakataukī in a speech, email or eulogy

In a speech. Say the proverb, then the English, then a sentence on why you chose it. Whakataukī are part of whaikōrero, and a proverb that is explained means more to listeners than one recited.
In an email or a card. Put it after the greeting or just before the sign-off, with the translation underneath. Māori greetings and email sign-offs has the openings and closings to go around it.
In a eulogy. Kua hinga te tōtara i Te Waonui a Tāne and Toitū te whenua, whatungarongaro te tangata are the two above most suited to it; He aha te mea nui o te ao? suits someone remembered for their care of others.
In a school assignment. Give the Māori exactly as your source has it, macrons included, then the translation, then the source. If a source names who said it, name them too; by the distinction many teachers draw, that makes it a whakatauākī.
Copy the macrons. They mark long vowels and change words, so whakatauki without them is misspelt. The pronunciation guide explains how to say them.

Wordings vary between published sources, as several entries above show. When a speaker you are quoting uses a different wording, theirs is the one to keep.

Why proverbs are hard to translate

Several of the whakataukī above lean on a word that carries more than its English gloss: rangatahi is a net and a generation, tētēkura a fern frond and a chief, rito a flax shoot and a child. The words with no English equivalent at all have a guide of their own, and the same problem in other languages is the subject of words that don’t exist in English.

The proverbs also reward knowing the everyday words inside them. Tangata, mahi, ao, kāinga and whenua are all in the top 400 of the Māori frequency list, and how many Māori words you need explains why the most common words are the ones to learn first. Verbavia’s free te reo Māori course teaches them in that order and plays its examples in Papa Reo’s te reo voice.