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Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

ira tangata

1. (noun) human genes, human element, mortals.

I te wā i oti ai ngā mea katoa te hanga i runga i te mata o te whenua i roto i te whenua, i te takiwā, i roto i ngā wai, ka ui atu rātou me pēwhea te whakaputa i te ira tangata ki te ao (TTT 1/6/1924:63). / At the time all things were being created on the face of the land and in the earth, in space and in the waters, they asked how should the human element be created in the world.

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ira

1. (noun) life principle, gene - used with other words, e.g. ira tangata, ira atua.

Nā ngā kāwai o ōna mātua i pū ai te ira rangatira ki roto i a Paraire (TTR 1996:255). / Because of the lines of descent of his parents the chiefly genes were passed on to Paraire.

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Synonyms: mouri, mauri

Aho Matua

1. The philosophical base for Kura Kaupapa Māori education for the teaching and learning of children. Te Aho Matua is presented in six parts, each part having a special focus on what, from a Māori point of view, is crucial in the education of children: 1. Te ira tangata – the physical and spiritual endowment of children and the importance of nurturing both in their education; 2. Te reo – principles by which this bilingual competence will be achieved; 3. Ngā iwi – principles important in the socialisation of children; 4. Te ao – those aspects of the world that impact on the learning of children; 5. Āhuatanga ako – the principles of teaching practice that are of vital importance in the education of children; 6. Te tino uaratanga – the characteristics aiming to be developed in children.

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