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E-Whakatū

Whaikōrero — structure & protocol

A learning scaffold for formal oratory: who speaks, in what order, and the parts of a speech.

He tohutohu / A note on kawa. Whaikōrero tikanga differs by iwi, hapū and marae — there is no single rulebook. This is a general framework to learn from. On the marae, always follow the tangata whenua and the local kawa.

Ngā taha e rua — the two sides

Tangata whenuaHosts — the people of the marae

The home people. They whaikōrero to welcome, to lay down the take of the day, and to weave the manuhiri into the kaupapa of the marae.

ManuhiriVisitors — the guests being welcomed

The visiting group. They whaikōrero to respond to the welcome, to acknowledge the hosts and their dead, and to state why they have come.

When you upload a whaikōrero, set its sub-folder to Tangata whenua or Manuhiri so it files under the right side.

Te raranga kōrero — order of speakers

Pāeke

One side completes, then the other

All the tangata whenua speakers go first in turn, then all the manuhiri speakers. The kawa of many iwi.

Tū mai, tū atu (tau utuutu)

Sides alternate

Speakers alternate — a host, then a guest, then a host — back and forth until both paepae are complete. The kawa of other iwi (e.g. Te Arawa).

Ngā wāhanga — parts of a whaikōrero

  1. Tauparapara — Opening chant / incantation

    A karakia or moteatea that opens the speech, calling on the atua and tūpuna and signalling the speaker's whakapapa and rohe.

  2. Whakamānawa ki te Atua — Acknowledge the divine

    Greeting and giving thanks to te Atua / ngā atua before all else.

  3. Mihi ki te whare me te whenua — Greet the house and the land

    Acknowledge the wharenui (often named for an ancestor) and Papatūānuku — the marae ātea you stand on.

  4. Poroporoaki / mihi ki te hunga mate — Farewell the dead

    Weep for and farewell those who have passed — 'haere, haere, haere'. The dead are addressed before the living.

  5. Mihi ki te hunga ora — Greet the living

    Turn from the dead to the living — 'tēnā koutou' — greeting the people gathered.

  6. Te take / te kaupapa — The purpose

    State the reason for the gathering — the heart of the speech.

  7. Hāpinga kōrero / whakakapi — Closing

    Draw the threads together and close, usually leading into the waiata.

  8. Waiata — Supporting song

    The speaker's group stands and sings a waiata to tautoko (support) and complete the whaikōrero.

Whaikōrero lessons →Upload a whaikōrero →