pū harakeke
1. (noun) clump of flax - also used figuratively for 'grassroots'.
Ka whakatata atu a Mētara me tana rōpū, ka huna i raro i ngā rauaruhe, i ngā rākau, me ngā pū harakeke (TWK 2:7). / When Mētara and his party approached they hid under the bracken fern, trees and clumps of flax.
He wero nui ki ngā iwi te whakapākehā i ngā tikanga Māori hei whakahaere i ngā kaupapa ahumoni. He āhuatanga rerekē te pū harakeke ki ngā tikanga rangatōpū o Pākehā mā (Te Ara 2014). / Translating Māori customs into a way of management of financial systems is a big challenge for iwi. The ‘flax roots’ style is somewhat different from the corporate hierarchies of Pākehā.
See also pūharakeke