Piki Kōtuku – School Journal Level 2 June 2022

This poem uses the metaphor of the rare and elegant white heron, or kōtuku, to honor the memory of a cherished elder, celebrating her noble spirit and the lasting legacy she leaves behind for her people.

Keywords: ancestors, culture, heritage, history, identity, inheritance, kōtuku, language, lullaby, metaphor, oriori, poetry, responsibility, stories, taonga, te reo Māori, tūpuna, values, whakapapa, whānau