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Insight Horizon Media

Why is Whakawhanaungatanga important?

Author

Michael Henderson

Published Feb 15, 2026

Why is Whakawhanaungatanga important?

Whakawhanaungatanga allows space for people to express what’s in their heart’s, rather than what we want to hear. It reveals the aspirations and barriers for kaiako, whānau, and communities. The SLTs shared their holistic views of whānau.

Why is Whanaungatanga important in ECE?

A whanaungatanga approach recognises the centrality of relationships between whānau and teachers and children in early childhood education. A culture in which caring for others is both expected and encouraged is found to be important to Māori parents when choosing early childhood settings for their children.

What is Whakawhanaungatanga?

Whakawhanaungatanga. Whakawhanaungatanga is the process of establishing links, making connections and relating to the people one meets by identifying in culturally appropriate ways, whakapapa linkages, past heritages, points of engagement, or other relationships.

What is Whakawhanaungatanga ECE?

Reciprocal and responsive relationships – Ngā whakawhanaungatanga. The Māori child descends from a unique culture and history based on strong genealogical links and relationships, and has the right to be respected within the full context of those links and relationships.

What are the principles of Whanaungatanga?

Whanaungatanga is about relationship, kinship and a sense of family connection. It is created through shared experiences and working together and provides people with a sense of belonging. It comes with rights and obligations, which serve to strengthen each member of that whānau or group.

What is the importance of Kaitiakitanga?

Understanding kaitiakitanga Kaitiakitanga means guardianship and protection. It is a way of managing the environment, based on the Māori world view. A kaitiaki is a guardian. This can be a person or group that cares for an area such as a lake or forest.

What’s the meaning of Whanaungatanga?

kinship
Whanaungatanga is about relationship, kinship and a sense of family connection. It is created through shared experiences and working together and provides people with a sense of belonging. It comes with rights and obligations, which serve to strengthen each member of that whānau or group.

What does a Whanaungatanga mean?

Whanaungatanga is about forming and maintaining relationships and strengthening ties between kin and communities. This value is the essential glue that binds people together, providing the foundation for a sense of unity, belonging and cohesion.

How do you promote Whanaungatanga?

To promote whanaungatanga, arts teachers communicate a belief in the capacity of all students as learners and achievers. Teachers and students share work, successes, and challenges. They celebrate diverse abilities and individual excellence.

Is Whanaungatanga a value?

The concept of whanaungatanga is a foundational value of Māori culture, and with the increasing use of te reo Māori the concept has now found its way into the mainstream vernacular. At the centre of this Māori value is the word whānau.

How does Kaitiakitanga affect our future?

Interest in kaitiakitanga is growing today. It is seen as a vehicle for applying ideas about preservation, conservation, repair and utilisation of environments for the present and future generations. Kaitiakitanga invites people to form and maintain relationships with the environment in which they live.

What is whakawhanaungatanga and why is it important?

Sometimes in education settings, we use the word to talk about a process of getting to know each other. This is called whakawhanaungatanga. Whanaungatanga describes the ‘glue’ that holds people together in any whānau relationships.

What does manaakitanga mean to you?

‘Mana’ refers to an individual’s spiritual dignity, ‘aki’ means to encourage or spur on; therefore ‘manaaki’ means to encourage the dignity and worth of others. As we honour and spur on others, we also increase our own mana. Manaakitanga is ultimately the goal of Christian hospitality.

What do Māori value most in their relationships?

In particular, Māori participants placed high value on whakawhanaungatanga: the making of culturally meaningful connections with others. Culturally appropriate communication and relationship building was deemed so important by some Māori participants that when it was absent, they felt strongly discouraged to attend pulmonary rehabilitation.

What is Whakapapa and why is it important?

Whakapapa (genealogy) is an important way of remembering where we come from, and recognising and acknowledging our genealogical connections with others. People who understand their ancestral backstory and history have a clearer understanding of who they are. Through whakapapa, Māori can authentically build connections with one another.