Week 6
Kōhine Oranga-tiratanga
Poipoia te kākano kia puāwai
"It's about reaching our full potential"
This week we returned to an unfinished project from Week 4, adding the final touches to our hue taonga. Whaea Nikki brought some hue-inspo and reminded us about Hinepūtehue (atua of the gourd, peace, and harmony). She was super impressed with Kahu R. and some of the other girls who were able to recall Hinepūtehue's role in bringing peace after a battle between Tūmatauenga and Tāwhirimātea. It's awesome when the girls are confident to bring forward their knowledge from home, school, and from our wānanga kōrero.
We also enjoyed seeing the girls' creativity and vision to see the potential in their little hue-works-in-progress. They snipped, smoothed, and designed their own unique embellishments. And, with a little time, effort, and care, the girls created a beautiful taonga, each given a name to represent its whakapapa. Along the way, we collected the seeds from each hue... a future project: to nurture the next generation of beautiful creations.
We also enjoyed seeing the girls' creativity and vision to see the potential in their little hue-works-in-progress. They snipped, smoothed, and designed their own unique embellishments. And, with a little time, effort, and care, the girls created a beautiful taonga, each given a name to represent its whakapapa. Along the way, we collected the seeds from each hue... a future project: to nurture the next generation of beautiful creations.
This week's pou reminds us that we have the blueprint for success, within us.
All we need is a little time, effort, and care...in order to flourish.
He kākano nā Hinerauwhārangi, ka tupu, ka puāwai, ka whai hua
A seed of Hinerauwhārangi grows, blossoms, and bears fruit
The many stages of wahinetanga
The many stages of wahinetanga
ORANGA-TIRATANGA IN PRACTICE
Our kōhine enjoyed a self-care and wellbeing session with professional make-up artist Shushila Takao, who created a relaxed space for learning and reflection. While sharing practical advice about healthy skin through good nutrition, hydration, and sleep, Shushila also encouraged the girls to embrace their natural beauty and reject the beauty standards often portrayed on social media. A simple make-up demonstration showed what can be achieved with just a few affordable products, and the girls were stoked to take home a small swag bag of essentials. The session opened up a conversation about confidence, self-worth, and the many ways we can nurture ourselves and celebrate our unique beauty.
Find Shushila on Instagram
Our last activity for the week invited the kōhine to see themselves through the eyes of others. Each girl wrote a series of "compliment koha" for every other member of the rōpū, sharing words of admiration, appreciation, and encouragement. Before long, journals were filled with affirmations such as "you are kind and bubbly," "I love your humour," and "I love how you bring everything you do to life." Kōhine naturally recognised and celebrated one another's mana.
While some compliments acknowledged appearance, many focused on qualities such as kindness, confidence, generosity, humour, friendship, positivity, and the ability to make others feel valued and included.
The kōhine then gathered their compliments and added them to their journals, creating a collection of reflections they can return to whenever they need a reminder of who they are and what they bring to the world. It was an opportunity to pause and consider strengths, gifts, and qualities that others see clearly, but often we find difficult to see oursleves
We were guided by the whakataukī:
Ko Hinetītama koe, matawai ana ngā karu i te tirohanga atu.
You are Hinetītama, the eyes glisten at your sight.
Our beauty and potential are extraordinary – own it!
Using the compliments they had received, the kōhine were invited to personalise messages by declaring, "Ko Hinetītama ahau..." before adding a strength, gift, or quality reflected back to them by their peers. In doing so, they were encouraged to embrace the beauty, potential, and mana that already exists within them.
By receiving and owning the affirmations offered by their peers, the kōhine practised what the whakataukī calls us to do: recognise our own extraordinary beauty and potential and stand confidently in it.
While some compliments acknowledged appearance, many focused on qualities such as kindness, confidence, generosity, humour, friendship, positivity, and the ability to make others feel valued and included.
The kōhine then gathered their compliments and added them to their journals, creating a collection of reflections they can return to whenever they need a reminder of who they are and what they bring to the world. It was an opportunity to pause and consider strengths, gifts, and qualities that others see clearly, but often we find difficult to see oursleves
We were guided by the whakataukī:
Ko Hinetītama koe, matawai ana ngā karu i te tirohanga atu.
You are Hinetītama, the eyes glisten at your sight.
Our beauty and potential are extraordinary – own it!
Using the compliments they had received, the kōhine were invited to personalise messages by declaring, "Ko Hinetītama ahau..." before adding a strength, gift, or quality reflected back to them by their peers. In doing so, they were encouraged to embrace the beauty, potential, and mana that already exists within them.
By receiving and owning the affirmations offered by their peers, the kōhine practised what the whakataukī calls us to do: recognise our own extraordinary beauty and potential and stand confidently in it.
Ko Hinetītama koe