Papatūānuku me te wahine
Kāore he wehewehe a te Māori i te wahine me te whenua i te mea, ko rāua ngā ūkaipō o te tangata. I whānau mai te ao i a Papatūānuku, waihoki, ka whānau mai te ira tangata i te wahine. Kāore he wehewehe a te Māori i te whare tangata o te wahine me te kōpū o Papatūānuku, he rite.
Mana whenua
Kei tēnā iwi, kei tēnā iwi āna ake kōrero mō te hōrapa o te mana o te wahine ki runga i te whenua. He tauira. I ōna rā, ko Ruawehea te ariki tapairu o Ngāti Hako o Hauraki. Inā ngā kupu whakatau manuhiri ka kuhu ki tōna rohe:
Haere mai, nau mai
Haere mai, kuhu noa mai ki ngā hūhā o Ruawehea. 1
Ka whakaatu te kōrero nei i te mea, kotahi anake te kuhuna ki taua rohe, arā, mā te aro ki te mana whenua o Ruawehea.
Mana i te wahine
Hei ētahi wā, ka noho ko ngā wāhine hei whakaohooho i ngā wairua o ngā tāne kia pukā, kia nguha, kia whawhai mō te whenua, mō tētahi atu take ranei. He wā anō, ko te wahine ka whakatakoto i ngā kaupapa hei whāinga mō ngā tāne. Ko ngā wāhine tonu ka whakaaraara i ngā kaupapa kei wareware, ā, ko rātou hoki ka rapu putanga i ngā nawe me ngā raruraru tērā ka pā. Ko Waitohi te tuahine o Te Rauparaha, he rangatira o Ngāti Toa i ōna rā. Nā Waitohi te kupu matua e whakaae ai ngā rangatira o Ngāti Raukawa kia heke te iwi ki te tai tonga; inā:
Ngāti Raukawa, e hoki ki Maungatautari! Mā wai o koutou e mau mai aku werewere hei noho mai i runga i te whenua i haha nei? 2
Wahine me te whenua
He whakataukī rongonui tā te Māori ka whakaatu i te nui rawa atu o te mana o te wahine me te whenua ki a ia:
Mā te wahine, mā te whenua, ka ngaro te tangata.
I te ao Māori, he kupu whakarite te tohorā mō te rangatira. Tēnei mea te werewere ka piri ki te tinana o te tohorā; ki te kore te tohorā e neke, e kore te werewere e neke. He pērā te kōrero mō te tangata; ki te kore te rangatira e neke, e kore te iwi e neke. Hei aha koa, ka rongo te rangatira o Ngāti Raukawa, a Hūkiki Te Ahukaramū i te tono a Waitohi, ka whakautua ki te kōrero, māna mā Te Ahukaramū ngā werewere e kawe mai mā runga i te tuarā nui o te tohorā. Ko te hekenga tēnā o Ngāti Raukawa ki te tonga, i runga i te tono a Waitohi.
