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Tāne-nui-ā-rangi

Tēnei au te hōkai nei o taku tapuwae
Ko te hōkai nuku ko te hōkai rangi
Ko te hōkai a tō tupuna a Tāne-nui-ā-rangi
Ka pikitia ai ki te rangi tūhāhā ki te Tihi-o-Manono                              
Ka rokohina atu rā ko Te Matua-kore anake
Ka tīkina mai ngā kete o te wānanga
Ko te kete-tuauri
Ko te kete-tuatea
Ko te kete-aronui
Ka tiritiria ka poupoua
Ka puta mai iho ko te ira tangata
Ki te wheiao ki te ao mārama
Tihei-mauri ora!

This is the journey of sacred footsteps
Journeyed about the earth journeyed about the heavens  
The journey of the ancestral god Tane-nui-a-rangi
Who ascended into the heavens to Te Tihi-o-Manono
Where he found the parentless source
From there he retrieved the baskets of knowledge
Te kete-tuauri
Te kete-tuatea
Te kete-aronui
These were distributed and implanted about the earth
From which came human life
Growing from dim light to full light
There was life.

The carvings within Tāne-nui-ā-rangi, the wharenui at Waipapa marae, depicts significant cosmological, ancestral and founding figures, including Pacific and Pākehā ancestors. The story of Tāne is a guide for students who are on their quest for knowledge, reminding all to aim high and to keep the needs of their community at the forefront. Learn more about the History of Waipapa Marae

Purpose of the Māori guides

The purpose of these guides is to provide a starting point for Māori research by providing thematic recommended texts, databases, archives and other electronic resources. As this guide is a starting point, researchers are encouraged to use this alongside the library Catalogue, where all Waipapa Taumata Rau resources can be found.

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