Description
The Story of Mauao retold by Toni Rolleston-Cummins is a traditional pūrākau that weaves Māori oral history with powerful imagery to explain the origins and significance of Mauao (Mount Maunganui) in Tauranga Moana. Set in a time before people arrived, the story follows a nameless maunga who falls in love with the beautiful Pūwhenua and, after heartbreak, is carried by patupaiarehe to the edge of the sea. As dawn breaks, he is given the name Mauao, meaning “caught by the dawn,” and becomes a guardian overlooking the harbour. Through rich language and symbolism, the text explores themes of love, loss, resilience, and identity, while emphasising Mauao’s enduring mana as a tīpuna for the iwi of Tauranga Moana.
The text is ideal for integrated learning across literacy and social sciences, supporting inquiry into Māori oral traditions, whakapapa, identity, and the deep connections between people, stories, and place in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This pack contains wide range of response activities including:
- A guided reading plan exploring key literacy elements including inference and deduction, language use, making connection and text organisation, along with key questioning to promote emotional intelligence, metacognition and compassionate inquiry.
- An independent learning contract complete with explainer videos for activity clarity
- A wide range of response activities to support developing and embedding key literacy skills including sentence and word work, spelling, and cloze activities.
Curriculum Phase: Phase 3
Year Level: Year 4
English (NZC Levels 3–4):
reading for meaning and critical thinking, analysing narrative structure and imagery, exploring symbolism and theme, understanding pūrākau and oral storytelling traditions
Social Sciences – Aotearoa New Zealand Histories:
Māori histories and perspectives, whakapapa, identity and belonging, continuity and change, relationships between people and place
Text type:
Fiction, pūrākau, traditional narrative, cultural story
Key words include:
Mauao, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga Moana, maunga, pūrākau, oral history, patupaiarehe, whakapapa, tīpuna, tūpuna, identity, mana, guardianship, resilience, love and loss, dawn, Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa, Tākitimu waka, Tamatea, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, ancestors, cultural heritage
Accessing my resources
Add your desired resources to your cart. If you're a non-member, complete the purchase; if you're a member, simply go through the checkout process. Once finished, you'll receive a download link on the confirmation page, and a copy will also be sent to your email.