Wairere are currently focusing on writing our pepeha/mihi. In Te Ao Māori/The world this is our way of introducing who we are and where we come from.

There is a formulaic way of how Māori introduce our pepeha which is similar to a family tree. Māori begin by stating their maunga/mauka/mountain, awa/river/moana/ocean. Our mountain and river must be connected. We then state our waka/canoe how we travelled to the place where we settled, our iwi(tirbe/s), hapū/subtribe/s and marae are next. Following this we state where we are from, introduce our whānau members and finally ourselves. This is how we make connections with others when reciting our pepeha or mihi to a group.

For those who are tauiwi/non-Māori we follow a structure that shares the local maunga/mauka/mountains that protect and shelter us as well as the connecting awa/river. The difference here is that the waka and marae are not included.

We also acknowledge the local hapū that our kura/school connects to, in this case, Ngāi Tūāhurihuri.

Ko tōku nui, tōku wehi, tōku whakatiketike, tōku reo.

My language is my greatness, my inspiration, that which I hold precious.