Cultural Knowledge / Tikanga 

Traditional Māori had many words and stories associated with the weather because of its influence on everyday life, especially on growing food and fishing. Tāwhirimātea is the kaitiaki (guardian) of the weather. He was one of the children of Ranginui (the sky father) and Papatūānuku (the earth mother). He didn’t agree with their separation, so he vented his anger by sending out:

• ngā hau e whā (the four winds) – hauraki (north wind), hautonga (south wind), hauāuru (west wind), and haurāwhiti (east wind)

• uanui (terrible rain), uaroa (long, continuous rain), and uawhatu (fierce hail-storms)

• whaitiri (thunder)

• uira (lightning).

The other children of Ranginui and Papatūānuku were:

• Tangaroa (associated with fish)

• Rongomātāne (associated with kūmara and cultivated food)

• Haumiatiketike (associated with fern roots and uncultivated food)

• Tānemahuta (associated with trees and birds)

• Tūmatauenga (associated with war).

Pre-Reading / I Mua Atu

Before reading the story, talk with students to discover:

• their previous experiences in relation to the picture on the front cover, as well as their knowledge of weather forecasts

• their prior knowledge of relevant vocabulary, language structures, and Māori concepts.

Flashcards / Whakaahua

You could create flashcards to show images of the following content words:

Tāwhirimātea – guardian of winds and weather

ua – rain

whaitiri – thunder

kapua – cloud

hau – wind

rā – sun

Rāhina – Rāmere – Monday – Friday

mutunga wiki – weekend

tohu – symbol/s

tātahi – beach

kaimoana – seafood

Other Words / Ētahi Atu Kupu

Other words in the text include:

o – of

tēnei wiki – this week

pai rawa – really good

mō – for

nō reira – so

ki – to

heke – to fall

tangi – to sound

puta – to appear

pupuhi – to blow

whiti – to shine

kohi – to collect

Grammar / Wetereo

This story includes the following language structures:

interrogative he aha (what)

definite article ngā (the, plural)

definite article te (the, singular)

future tense marker ka (Ka whiti te rā. The sun will shine.)

article Ā, to specify a day in the future (Ā te Mane … On Monday …)

plural pronoun mātou (we, excluding the listener/s).