pā harakeke
1. (noun) flax bush, generations - sometimes used as a metaphor to represent the whānau and the gene pools inherited by children from their two parents and the passing of attributes down the generations.
He kupu whakarite te pā harakeke mō te whānau. Ko te rito i waenganui pū i te harakeke, koia tērā ko te tamaiti, ko ngā rau kei waho, ko ngā pakeke (Te Ara 2011). / The flax bush represents the family. The new leaf at its centre is the child, and leaves on the outside are older relatives.
See also pā
