Ono - Rāmere 6 Hakihea - Taonga 

Day 6 - Friday 6th December - Taonga 

He kaupapa mō te rā

Taonga

A taonga is a highly valued and precious treasure. Taonga are socially and culturally important to the person or people who perceive something to be a taonga. There is no limit to what can be considered a Taonga; places, people, resources, objects, ideas, phenomenon and more. 

“He taonga tuku iho” refers to the knowledge and practice that are handed down to the next generations. It is considered to be pivotal in maintaining consistent matauranga (knowledge), tikanga (customs), and whakapapa (heritage). Rangatahi (young person/s) might encourage the kaumātua (elderly) to engage in kōrerorero that will fill their kete (basket) with valuable insights.

He Karaipiture (Bible Reading)

Genesis 1:20 - 23

Nā, ka mea te Atua, “Kia ngahue ake i roto i ngā wai te mea ora e ngōki ana, kia rere anō hoki te manu i runga ake i te whenua i te mata o te kiko o te rangi.” Nā, ka hangā e te Atua ngā tohorā nunui, me ngā mea ora katoa, ngā mea ngōkingōki i ngahue ake nei i roto i ngā wai, o ia āhua, o ia āhua, me ngā manu whai parirau katoa, o ia āhua, o ia āhua. Ā, ka kite te Atua, he pai. Nā, ka manaaki te Atua i a rātou, ka mea, “Kia hua koutou, kia tini, kia kapi hoki ngā wai o ngā moana i a koutou, kia tini anō hoki ngā manu ki runga ki te whenua.” Ā, ko te ahiahi, ko te ata, he rā tuarima.

Then God commanded, “Let the water be filled with many kinds of living beings, and let the air be filled with birds.” So God created the great sea monsters, all kinds of creatures that live in the water, and all kinds of birds. And God was pleased with what he saw. He blessed them all and told the creatures that live in the water to reproduce and to fill the sea, and he told the birds to increase in number. Evening passed and morning came—that was the fifth day.

Whakarongo/Titiro Mai (Listen/Watch)

Ngā mea waihanga (Create)

Kotuku playfully enjoying their day on the husk of the nikau palm.

He Whakaaroaro (Reflect)

If we’re to believe the advertising that surrounds us at this time of year, Christ-mas is all about spending money and lots of it. We are bombarded with messaging encouraging us to swap our treasured money for treasured objects to give to treasured people. This message, the advertisers tell us, is what Christ-mas is all about. It’s a message that’s rooted in tranactions not treasure. We can get swept up in the hype of it all and if we’re not careful we can get carried away on a journey that takes us far from the heart of Christ-mas. Christ-mas is not transactional. Christ-mas is taonga. It’s taonga despite gift giving, decorating, feasting and celebrating. There is nothing more precious than the taonga of God-With-Us. This treasure is God’s loving and unconditional gift to the people of this world. 

Whakahokia mai (Respond)

Spend a few minutes thinking of what is that you treasure. Write or draw your ideas.

Karakia (Pray)

Te whakamoemiti te hōnore ki a koe, e te Atua ora tonu;
tō haerenga mai ōrite ki tā te whānako haere pō,
anō he hihiko uira i te rangi.
Meatia mātou kia tūmau
kia whakautu ai o mātou ngākau, Haere mai e Īhu te Ariki.
Whakarongo ki tēnei īnoi i runga i tōu aroha. Āmine.

Praise and honour to you living God;
your coming will be like a thief in the night,
like lightning flashing across the sky.
Grant that we may be ready,
and our hearts answer, Come Lord Jesus.
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake. Amen.

A New Zealand Prayer Book, He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa, p550