Taku mana, taku mana, mana motuhake, taku ihi, taku ihi, taku wanawana!
It is only fitting to begin this kōrero with a chant gifted to the esteemed mareikura, Whaea Rangimarie Rose Pere, a taonga she received from her kaumātua and tūpuna. Whaea Rose embodied the essence of mana wāhine and the grace of a true mareikura. How blessed we are to have been enriched by her presence, wisdom, straight up attitude, strength and teachings, which continue to guide and inspire us today.
E ai ki a Whaea Rose, "mana" is absolute uniqueness, vested authority from the source of life. She says, "there has never been anyone like you and there never will be". She says to celebrate both the similarities and the differences you have with other people, for we are all meant to co-exist in time and space together and to be a natural vital part of all universes, of all galaxies.
In te ao Māori, from the depths of Te Pō, the sacred darkness from which all life first stirred, to our revered Earth mother — Papatūānuku — who at that divine appointed time, guided Tāne to the sacred place upon her body, where, with the other atua watching and participating, they poured forth the essential gifts for human life. The final act was to imbue the sacred breath of life, through the hongi to Hineahuone, who was moulded from the red earth of Kurawaka. The legacy of mana wāhine is foundational to our very being.
I acknowledge the following atua wāhine who teach values and morals through their significant roles and acts in each of their pūrākau that offer us guidance and instruction. Hineahuone, Hinetītama, Hinenuitepōteao, Mahuika, Taranga, Murirangawhenua. Each carries strands of wisdom, resilience, transformation and spiritual depth. They are more than stories, they are the ngākau, the heartbeat, of what it means to be wāhine Māori, creators, life-givers, truth-bearers and bridge-keepers between realms.
In traditional times, the mana of wāhine was both revered and understood as essential to the collective wellbeing of the iwi. Wāhine held roles as tohunga, navigators, weavers of whakapapa, keepers of fire, warriors and communicators between worlds. Their spiritual alignment with te ao wairua was not just symbolic, it was lived, breathed and enacted daily.
Nowhere is this more powerfully felt than in the role of the kaikaranga, the caller. She is not simply a voice that opens ceremonial space; she is the embodiment of all those who came before. Her karanga does not come from her alone, it travels through her, echoing the voices of the tūpuna wāhine who once called across generations and lands. Her karanga reaches back to Hinetītama, the dawn maiden, stepping into the light of her own truth, it embraces the fire of Mahuika, the bearer of the internal flame, it journeys through the night with Hinenuitepōteao, guiding and welcoming the wairua home.
To be a kaikaranga is to walk with one foot in the physical world and the other in the world of wairua. She announces the living and the dead. She acknowledges Te Kore, Te Pō, and Te Ao Mārama in a single breath. Her voice is both welcome and warning, lament and praise, birth and death. She is a messenger between realms.
In traditional society, a kaikaranga would never call without deep preparation, spiritual, emotional and genealogical. Her voice must be aligned with the mauri of the event, the tapu of the space, and the wairua of all involved. Karanga are never spoken casually, they are woven with intent, shaped by kaupapa and steeped in aroha. The kaikaranga stands with her iwi, upholding the honour of her marae, calling with the authority of her whakapapa and the strength of her tūpuna.
Today, in modern times, this role remains as significant, if not more so. In an age of digital noise and cultural displacement, the voice of the kaikaranga cuts through, grounding us back into who we are. She carries with her the weight of colonisation, loss of language, fragmentation of whakapapa, and yet she still calls. Still holds space. Still brings manaakitanga to manuhiri and honour to the whare of her people.
The modern mana wāhine is both ancient and adaptive. She walks in two worlds, navigating the demands of whānau, mahi, education, and community, while also embodying traditional knowledge systems. She may speak te reo rangatira, or be on the journey of reclaiming it, but her essence remains. The fire of Mahuika still burns in her belly. The longing for balance felt by Hinetītama still pulses in her being. The resilience of Murirangawhenua, who passed her jawbone to Māui, still carries in her teachings.
To be a kaikaranga today is to be a vessel of resistance and remembrance. She stands in the void where so many have forgotten, and she remembers. She lifts her voice not just for the guests, but for the whenua, for te taiao, for the unseen, for the child yet unborn. She brings tangata together with wairua, binds the past to the present and creates space for the future.
The kaikaranga teaches us that mana wāhine is not just about power, it is about presence. It is about showing up fully, in grief, in joy, in ceremony, in the everyday. It is about knowing that your voice is not just yours, but an echo of generations, and a guidepost for those yet to come.
As we move forward, continuously rebuilding the threads of identity, language, and spiritual connection, the voice of the kaikaranga reminds us: we are not lost, we are seeds sown in Rangiātea. We are becoming again. Every karanga is a weaving. Every call is a return.
In our kaikaranga, we see the rebirth of Hinetītama each dawn, and the welcome of Hineahuone to all that is sacred. We feel the presence of Taranga, whose nurturing gave rise to Māui’s transformation. We honour Hinenuitepōteao, who guards the threshold of death with dignity and power.
Let us uplift our emerging kaikaranga, with the reverence they deserve. Let us create space for them to practise, to wānanga, to remember, to fall and rise. For in doing so, we awaken the wairua of mana wāhine not just in ceremonial space, but in our homes, our schools, our workplaces, our hearts and our future.
Through every call, the kaikaranga teaches that values are not abstract, they are lived. Respect for the whenua, reverence for life, care for visitors, and responsibility to whānau, tūpuna and atua are all made tangible in her voice. By following her example, we learn the mindsets of patience, attentiveness, courage, and humility, ensuring that the legacy of mana wāhine continues to shape our actions, decisions and future generations.
In every karanga, every breath and every step, the kaikaranga embodies the essence of mana wāhine, the wisdom of the atua, and the guiding principles that uphold tikanga Māori. Her presence calls us to live with integrity, to serve with compassion, and to honour our tūpuna while creating a path for those yet to come. It is through this sacred role that we are reminded, our values, our mindsets, and our mana are not only inherited, but they are also actively lived, nurtured, and carried forward into the future.
Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi, tihei mauri ora!
