Te Kupu o te Wiki – The Word of the Week

Kia ora. To celebrate Te Reo Māori we are publishing kupu (words).

Kīwaha (colloquialism)

Autaia tonu
Not bad

Kupu (word)

wahine
woman

He wahine kaha a Miri
Miri is a strong woman

Whakataukī (Māori)

Tā te tamaiti mahi, he wawāhi tahā.
It is the job of the children to smash the calabash.

This proverb is similar to, boys will be boys. The calabash was a valuable tool for the transportation of food and water and was also used to heat water. A child who has clumsy and of a playful nature has no idea of the importance of this tool and through neglect may accidentally break it. This is not the fault of the child and they should not be punished for what is their nature.