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Pepeha Puzzle Challenge

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Pepeha Puzzle Challenge

Pepeha Puzzle Challenge

Māori cultural symbols and landscape

🏔️ Part 1: Understanding Our School Pepeha

Read our school pepeha carefully:

Ko Te Waonui a Tiriwa ngā maunga
Ko Te Wai o Pareira te awa
Ko Te Waitematā te moana
Ko Te Kawerau ā Maki
Ko Te Waipuna o Te Matauranga te wharenui
Ko Te Kōpua te whenua
Ko Te Kura Auraki o Waitākere te kura

1. What does "ngā maunga" mean in English?

The river

The mountains

The sea

The land

2. Which line tells us about our iwi connection?
3. What elements of whenua (land) are mentioned in our pepeha? (Check all that apply)

Mountains

River

Ocean

Forest

Land

🧩 Part 2: Pepeha Puzzle - Match the Clues

The lines of our pepeha have been scrambled! Use the clues to match each line with its meaning.

4. Match each pepeha line with its description:
1. Ko Te Waonui a Tiriwa ngā maunga
2. Ko Te Wai o Pareira te awa
3. Ko Te Waitematā te moana
4. Ko Te Kawerau ā Maki
5. Ko Te Kōpua te whenua
A. Our iwi connection and whakapapa
B. The sparkling waters that connect us
C. The flowing water that sustains life
D. The sacred land beneath our feet
E. The peaks that watch over us

🔍 Part 3: Whakapapa and Whenua Detective Work

5. Fill in the missing words from our pepeha using the word bank below:

Word Bank: Waitākere, Matauranga, Waitematā, Kawerau, Tiriwa

Ko Te Waonui a _____________ ngā maunga

Ko Te _____________ te moana

Ko Te _____________ ā Maki

Ko Te Waipuna o Te _____________ te wharenui

Ko Te Kura Auraki o _____________ te kura

6. Why is it important for our school to have a pepeha? Explain your thinking:

🎨 Part 4: Create Your Connection

7. Draw a simple map or picture showing how the elements in our pepeha connect to each other (mountains, river, sea, land):
8. Working with a partner, discuss and write down three ways our school pepeha helps us understand our place in Aotearoa:
9. Challenge: Can you write the complete pepeha from memory? Try below:

🤝 Part 5: Collaboration and Reflection

10. What does whakapapa mean to you after learning about our school pepeha?

Only family connections

Connections to land, people, and place

Just knowing your ancestors

Something only Māori people have

11. How does understanding our school's connection to Te Kawerau ā Maki help us as students?
12. Reflection: What is one new thing you learned about identity and place from this pepeha puzzle?

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