Wānanga #01 Details

Pūrea ki Karangahape 

At the heart of this wānanga is Parawhenua-mea, the Ātua of sacred waters. The living, life-giving waters that sustain us, flow through our bodies, and carry the memory of those who came before us. She is the source of all wai ora, the first waters in which we were formed, and the sacred current that continues to weave through our whakapapa.

She nourishes Papatūānuku, moving through the unseen pathways of the whenua as underground currents, rising as puna to cleanse, restore, and sustain. Her waters are the essence of renewal, shaping the whenua, replenishing the body, and carrying the mauri of generations past and present.

This wānanga serves as an introduction to Te Taiao through the ancient ritual of Pūrea, a sacred act of purification and realignment with the natural world.

 Here, we honour the relationship between Parawhenua-mea and Kiwa, acknowledging the bridge between fresh and saltwater, between whenua and moana, between past and present. Their union represents the continuous flow of whakapapa, the merging of histories, and the unbroken cycle of renewal.

This is a space for Māmā and our Tamahine to return to the creation waters of Parawhenua-mea, to honour the whakapapa that binds them, and to step into the restorative embrace of wai. Through her, we reconnect to the origins of life itself—where healing is not only possible, but inevitable. 

Facilitated by Tracey-Leigh Te Paa.