WHAIAO: 8 August – 29 November 2026
Find out about the exhibition on at Te Pito Huarewa Gallery located on Tuakiri | Identity, Level 2, Tūranga.
Ki te Whaiao, Ki te Ao Marama
Our worldviews are informed by the stories we are told, the connection to land and the people we learn from. For Māori, our ancient teachers are the world itself. Mātauranga Māori is a roadmap for how our tīpuna navigated these waters, lands and skies. WHAIAO is an exploration and celebration of Māori worldviews and the items we are humbly able to hold in our collections at Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi Christchurch City Libraries.
Whakaroko - Listen
Listen to an introduction to the exhibition.
I te reo Māori
In English
What's on
What's on
WHAIAO presents: Older Adults/Pakeke: Storytelling Workshop
WHAIAO presents: Folk Tales Performance
WHAIAO presents: Rangatahi - Storytelling Workshop
WHAIAO presents: Folk Tales Performance
WHAIAO phases
I te hōparatanga o te tūhonohonotanga o te ao Māori mā te tirohanga o te mātauranga Māori, ko te taiao hei kaiarataki mōu ki WHAIAO.
Ko te Maunga - Ko te Whenua - Ko te Moana - Ko te Rangi
Katoa, ēnei taiao, ka noho i te takiwā o ērā atu, ka whakaawe i tō haere i aua takiwā, ka tuku hoki i ōna anō mātauranga ki a koe.
Exploring the interconnectedness of te ao Māori and displaying that through a mātauranga Māori lens we are using Te Taiao as your guide for WHAIAO.
Maunga – Whenua – Moana – Rangi
Each of these environments sit within each-others’ space, they influence your journey through their domains, sharing their knowledge with you.
MAUNGA
Ko te Maunga
Ko ngā maunga tō mātou hononga ā-wairua tuatahi ki tō mātou ahurea. Koia te tūāpapa o ō mātou mātauranga me ā mātou tikanga e kapi katoa ai i a mātou tō mātou ahurea. Kitea ai tēnei i te tukunga o te pepeha, i te rārangi tuatahi e tūhonoa ai te tangata ki te maunga. He tohu whakaharahara te maunga nō ō mātou mātauranga me tō mātou mana. Nā konā, ko ō mātou maunga tētahi tino whakatinanatanga o tō mātou tuakiri ā-ahurea.
Maunga
Maunga are our first spiritual connection to who we are as people. They are the base of our knowledge and tikanga that allows us to encompass our identity wholeheartedly. This can be seen in the delivery of a pepeha, in the first line connecting a person to their mountain. Mountains are a monumental symbol of our mātauranga and mana. For this reason, our maunga are an essential embodiment of our cultural identity.
MAUNGA phase
WHAIAO - Maunga
WHENUA
Ko te Whenua
Ko te whenua, pērā i ngā maunga, te tūāpapa o ō mātou mātauranga me tō mātou whakapapa. Koia rā te wāhi ōkiko e noho nei tātou. Ka whāia ko te ora, ko ngā rawa hoki i te whenua. Ka ako tātou i ēnei wāhi, ka urutau hoki ki ngā hurihanga o te taiao. I te whāngai a te whenua i a tātou, ko tō tātou haepapa, ko te taute me te tiaki i te whenua me ōna whanaunga katoa.
Whenua
Our whenua, much like our maunga, encompasses the foundation of our knowledge and heritage. It is the physical space that we occupy. It nurtures us and provides resources. We learn from these surroundings and adapt to the changes in our environment. As the whenua nurtures us, it is our duty to nurture and care for the whenua and all its relations.
WHENUA Phase
WHAIAO - Whenua
MOANA
Ko te Moana
I te taenga haeretanga mai o te Māori ki Aotearoa i rāwāhi o te moana, ka hari mai mātou i ngā mātauranga huhua. Nāwai, nā te moana i kawe mai ngā tāngata Tiriti, arā, ngā kirinoho nō ngā tōpito katoa o te ao. Ka kawe mai tēnā tira, me tēnā tira i ō rātou ake mātauranga me ō rātou ake whakaaro i whanake haere ai i te wā, koia nei ngā mōhiohio kei a tātou i tēnei rā. Koirā te moana e whakaata nei i te taenga mai o ngā momo mātauranga katoa ki te whenua o Aotearoa.
Moana
As Māori arrived in Aotearoa from across the sea, they brought with them vast amounts of knowledge. Later, the sea brought tāngata Tiriti, settlers from all over the world. These groups all brought their own knowledge and ideas which developed over time into the information we have today. That is why the moana represents the arrival of all forms of knowledge to the land of Aotearoa.
MOANA phase
WHAIAO - Moana
WHAIAO soundtracks: Ngā Reo o te Taiao
WHAIAO in the news
Tahu News reporter Shakayla Andrews-Alapaki finds out about the WHAIAO exhibition. Watch on YouTube.
