OUR TIKANGA

KO NGĀ TIKANGA O TE WAKA WHAKAPONO

Tikanga are cultural practices or protocols exercised by Māori in their daily lives. These practices or protocols reflect the concepts upon which they are based and provide guidelines for appropriate behaviour in Aotearoa New Zealand. At Catholic Cathedral College, we have a genuine commitment to Te Ao Māori, the Māori worldview, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. In turn, we uphold cultural practices as a school community. These cultural practices include, but are not limited to, the following:


KARAKIA: Prayer is a fundamental element of both the Catholic Faith and Te Ao Māori; for Māori, karakia are prayers or ritual prose, which are recited in most situations. Karakia are integral to most formal proceedings as they provide a spiritual basis. At Catholic Cathedral College we encourage our students to see prayer as a basis for life. We teach them different ways of prayer and how to nurture this every day. 

We use karakia mō te kai, prayer to bless food, at all times that kai is shared.


HONGI: The traditional Māori greeting, the hongi, is performed by two people pressing their noses and foreheads together. The greeting is used at traditional meetings among Māori people, and at major ceremonies, such as a pōwhiri. In our kura, we use hongi at our formal events, as well as informally, for example when we greet our kaumātua, or when offering a sign of peace to each other during mass. We aspire for all of our students and staff to be able to use this greeting.


WHAKAPAPA: Whakapapa is about the recitation of genealogy (lineage or ancestry). It places people in wider contexts, linking to common ancestors or lands. We endeavour for all of our staff and students to have the ability to stand and share a little bit about where they come from and who they are (i.e. share their pepeha/mihi).

In addition we have everyday tikanga practices such as: 

- We don’t sit on tables, even if we know they aren’t used for kai

- We avoid putting items of clothing on tables, especially tables that are used for kai

- We acknowledge any guests in our classrooms or hui immediately after karakia

We uphold the relationship between Te Ao Māori and Te Ao Katorika (Catholicism) by using the following phrases where appropriate: 

- “Whakamoemiti me karakia tātou” - Let us pray

- “Ki te ingoa, o te Matua, o te Tamaiti, o te Wairua Tapu, mene” - Sign of the cross

- “E te Atua, manaakitia mai mātou katoa. O mātou ākonga, o mātou whānau. mene” -  (Closing karakia)


MIHI WHAKATAU: Mihi whakatau are used as a welcome off marae across the Ngāi Tahu region. Central to the tikanga behind a Mihi Whakatau/Pōwhiri are the concepts of tapu (sacredness/restriction) and noa (commonness, no restriction). The human body is inherently tapu/sacred, but when manuhiri (visitors) are waiting to be welcomed onto the marae they are in a state of heightened tapu; this is the natural anxiety of entering a new space or meeting new people. The purpose of a Pōwhiri is to welcome the manuhiri into a new space, easing them into feeling comfortable to the point where they feel at one with the tāngata whenua (local people).

Our mihi whakatau process consists of the following elements: Karanga (Optional)  - Whaikōrero  - Waiata  - Hongi  - Kai

The mihi whakatau process is used to welcome any new students, staff members or visitors into our school Whānau. (Mihi whakatau for new students and staff are organised by the Senior Leadership Team. Mihi whakatau for visitors need to be organised by staff who are responsible for them, in conjunction with the Māori Liaison.)

KOWHAIWHAI

The College Kowhaiwhai is developed from the traditional pattern known as Ngaru which depicts the cutting of the waves as the waka travels.

This Kowhaiwhai reflects the forward movement of our waka of faith  - ‘Te Waka Whakapono’, with the added inclusion of the Cross to represent Te Atua.

The red is a traditional colour in Kowhaiwhai. Here it represents the Blood of Christ through which our sins are absolved.

The blue of the background symbolizes heavenly grace, hope, good health and the giving of service. Blue is also traditionally the colour of Mary, who both our founding orders have as their inspirational and spiritual model.

The colours also connect our two original schools  -  the red of Sacred Heart and the blue of Xavier.

The Kowhaiwhai was created for the College by Jeremy Willis of Kāti Waewae descent. This is a West Coast hapū of Ngāi Tahu based at the Arahura River. He married into Te Atiawa Puketapu hapū, and has connections to Te Atiawa and Ngāti Maniapoto through Jan Wikaira, his whāngai mum. As a young person, Jeremy was guided by a Ngāti Porou kaumātua, Akuhata Manuel and his wife Patsy.

KOROWAI

Korowai are the most highly prized of all traditional Māori garments. Through funding awarded by the Red Cross Earthquake Fund in 2013 we obtained our College Korowai.

Our school kowhaiwhai features prominently, on both of the korowai. The red in it signifies Sacred Heart and the Blood of Christ, the royal blue illustrates Xavier College, and the Veil of Mother Mary. The white represents purity. The whakapapa of the design is the coming together of two schools, Sacred Heart and Xavier College, and the wake of a waka on its journey to Heaven. There is a Cross in the middle of the design, representing our Catholic Faith. 

The male korowai has red coming down from the kowhaiwhai, representing the Blood of Christ, and symbolising power and sacredness in Te Ao Māori.  The natural feathering was then chosen as the bulk of the cloak, to keep the korowai traditional. 

The female korowai features white feathers, to replicate the rare white albino kiwi feathers which are seen to be very prestigious, and also signifying purity. The lighter feathers then return to the same traditional feathering that is on the male cloak. Flecks of red feature on the female cloak also, again representing the Blood of Christ and symbolising power and sacredness.