Nine of My Favourite Whakataukī / Proverbs for the New Year
Ē, ko ngā rōrī ki mua i te whare o Uenuku!
Indeed, these are the entanglements before the house of Uenuku!
– Mead/Grove (Ngā Pepeha a ngā tīpuna)
I understand this whakataukī as a reminder that struggle often precedes achievement. The house of Uenuku may mark the end point of a goal, yet Uenuku — a foundational tūpuna of Hawaiki — also represents challenge, endurance, and continuity. Others may interpret this whakataukī differently, and that openness is part of its strength.
I open with this whakataukī because Uenuku, for me at least, represents the old Māori world — as atua and tūpuna — and it is exciting to see that world re-emerging and attracting renewed interest. Henare Tuwhangai connected Uenuku with food, while Tamihana Te Rauparaha associated Uenuku’s whistling with war.
Patua ki tahatū i te rangi, waiho tangata haere wā kia haere ana, kia rongo koe i te kōrero
Follow that which comes from the heavens — knowledge — and let those merely passing through continue on, so that you may truly hear the learning.
-Reweti Kohere ( Ngā kōrero a Reweti Kohere mā)
This speaks to discernment: attending to wisdom while allowing distraction to pass without attachment.
“If working people ever really understood how the system works, there would be a revolution tomorrow morning.”
— Noam Chomsky
I have long admired Noam Chomsky’s clarity on class and power. He points to a deep, simmering discontent among working people — a recognition that many lives are shaped by systems of control that are effectively tyrannical. Awareness alone, however, is not enough. If political understanding is to matter, it must be clearly articulated and collectively acted upon. Only then does the possibility of real change emerge.
Tāne rau ā hine, wāhine rau ā tama
The many men of women, the many women of men“
-Mead, (Ko ngā tuhituhinga a Hamiora Tumutara Te Tihi o te Whenua Pio)
This whakataukī reflects the inclusive and relational working together of the genders. In my own rohe, even in recent memory, women did not always practise whaikōrero publicly, but they were deeply involved as experts — educating men, shaping ideas, and correcting and guiding the presentation of the hapū. This reflects a broader truth of Māoritanga: collective practice.
Tērā te ao ka rere nā kei muri tata Te Mangōroa
As a cloud flies ahead, just behind it is Te Mangōroa — the Milky Way.
– Mead/Grove (Ngā Pepeha a ngā tīpuna)
This whakataukī speaks to ever-present possibility, and to the beauty and wonder that accompany perseverance and opportunity.
“We love diversity because we don’t love equality.”
— Professor Walter Benn Michaels
The rise of neoliberalism over the last forty years has encouraged satisfaction with representative faces in positions of power, while the system itself continues to generate profound inequality and poverty. This proverb speaks to a socialist theme in my writing this year, of justice for the poor and ideas and advocacy to lessen extreme inequality.
Noho manawareka haere manawareka, noho manawakino, haere manawakino
If you leave with sweetness, you will travel with sweetness; if you leave in a bad way, you will travel in a bad way.
-Mead, (Ko ngā tuhituhinga a Hamiora Tumutara Te Tihi o te Whenua Pio)
This whakataukī offers enduring wisdom about communication. It sits alongside others I often return to, such as He tao huata e hapa, he tao kī e kore e hapa — the spear in the hand may miss, but the spear of words does not. It stands in contrast to the familiar Pākehā saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Both ideas have their place, but this whakataukī stayed with me over the summer.
He meroiti te ika, i rāoa a Tamarereti
It was a small fish that choked Tamarereti.
– Mead/Grove (Ngā Pepeha a ngā tīpuna)
Tamarereti, the ancient tūpuna who navigated the skies aboard his waka,features prominently in Māori astronomy, reminds us through this whakataukī that even small things can bring great downfall if ignored.
“Might not come when you want it, but it’s right on time.”
— Little Brother (hip hop crew)
Ka eke te kupu nei rokohina i konei —ki te pāwerawera anake ki te mea homai he aha ka pahore? to come across something by chance. If we sit obsessively focused only on what lies beyond us, what is the point? Hence the saying waiho mā te wā — leave it to the right time — or, in earlier days, Kei te hua Tītoki: wait for the budding of the Tītoki tree, which can bud at any time of the year.
These are words of encouragement to us all. Blessings for the new year. Ngā manaakitanga I te tau hou.
Pai mārire.
James
