Throughout this episode, Dr. Jessica Hutchings offered her invaluable perspective on chemical agriculture and seed sovereignty through the lens of Te Ao Māori (the Māori Worldview). The following glossary of kupu Māori (Māori words and phrases) provides cultural context and translations for terms she referenced in the conversation. You will also find links to several of the works Dr. Hutchings mentioned, included here to enrich and support your listening experience.

REFERENCED RESOURCES

  1. PAPAWHAKARITORITO TRUST: HERE

    The purpose of Papawhakaritorito Charitable Trust is to elevate Indigenous seed, soil and food sovereignty through education, research, and practices that decolonise our current food system.

  2. SEEDS OF UNITY, SHORT FILM: HERE

    Seeds of Unity follows Māori seed and food growers traveling to India with Dr Jessica Hutchings and Dr Jo Smith to present the Mana Wāhine Declaration for Hineahuone to Dr Vandana Shiva at Navdanya Farm. The film celebrates Indigenous women in Aotearoa and India uniting to protect seeds, soil, and culture through regenerative practices, as part of the Seeding Hope: He Kākano Ahau kaupapa Māori research project.

  3. MAORI TV SERIES, HUA PARAKORE: REBUILDING OUR BROKEN FOOD SYSTEM: HERE

    An 8-part series that explores the diverse ways in which Food and Soil Sovereignty is being realised in Aotearoa by Māori growers and communities around the motu (island).

    (NOTE: this is geoblocked beyond Australia, Pacific and Aotearoa NZ.)

  4. MANA WĀHINE DECLARATION ON SEED AND SOIL: HERE

    Mana Wāhine Declaration on Seed and Soil acknowledges the way Indigenous knowledge can be utilized to change the way we grow, farm and eat. By saving seeds, taking care of the soil and growing our own food we have all the tools we need to regenerate the earth and honour our Earth Mother and our Soils. This Declaration was launched on World Food Day at Navdanya in India in 2025.

Māori Word / Phrase English Translation / Meaning Context / Cultural Notes
Aotearoa New Zealand (“Land of the Long White Cloud”) Māori name for New Zealand; tied to identity and whakapapa.
Atua Deity / God / Ancestral spiritual force Diety manifesting in the form of natural forces  who guide and protect creation.
Hineahūone Deity of the soil / First woman formed from clay Created by Tāne; represents the sacredness of soil and birth.
Hua Parakore Māori organic system / Food free from harm Māori framework for organic growing grounded in spiritual and cultural wellbeing.
Hui Gathering / Meeting A coming together of people, often with ceremony and discussion.
Ka pai Good / Well done Used to express agreement, praise, or approval.
Kai Food More than food — nourishment and reciprocity with land and ancestors.
Karakia Prayer / Incantation / Blessing Spoken before planting, harvesting, or eating to bring intention and connection.
Kererū Native wood pigeon Symbol of peace, abundance, and forest regeneration.
Kūmara Sweet potato Traditional Māori food crop brought on ancestral waka.
Kupu Word Words carry mana and mauri — each kupu is alive.
Manawahenua Indigenous authority / Spiritual connection to land / People of the land “Heart of the land,” signifying guardianship and belonging.
Māramatanga Enlightenment / Awareness / Illumination Spiritual and intellectual clarity or higher consciousness.
Marae Communal meeting place Cultural and spiritual space for gatherings and ceremonies.
Mauri Life force / Vital essence / Vibration The vital spark or energy that exists in all living things and ecosystems.
Mauri noho Dormant mauri / Dormant or deadened life force A state where the mauri has been diminished or extinguished.
Ngā mihi Acknowledgements / Thanks Used in closings, e.g., Ngā mihi nui (“many thanks”).
Orō Sound / Resonance The vibration or sonic quality linked to nature’s soundscape.
Papawhakaritorito To cause to grow again / Regeneration Name of Jessica’s charitable trust; from whakaritorito (to sprout or flourish again).
Papatūānuku Earth Mother Embodiment of the living Earth — source of nourishment and life.
Papatūānuku Marae Earth Mother Meeting Place Urban Māori marae near Auckland Airport focused on food sovereignty.
Pātaka Kai Food storehouse / Pantry Traditionally an elevated structure for storing food; metaphor for community nourishment.
Rangatahi Young people / Youth Young people in the present and can refers to the next generation or emerging leaders.
Ranginui Sky Father In Māori cosmology, the Sky Father; partner of Papatūānuku.
Te Ao Wairua The spiritual world The unseen realm of ancestors, deities, and energy.
Te reo Māori / Te reo rangatira The Māori language / The chiefly language Sacred language carrying ancestral sound vibrations from nature.
Tīnana Body Represents the physical vessel of a person.
Tūpuna Ancestors Those who came before; revered for wisdom and guidance.
Wairua Spirit Literally “two waters,” denoting spiritual energy that connects all things.
Waka Canoe / Ancestral migration vessel Represents ancestral journeys and tribal origins.
Whakapapa Genealogy / Lineage / Connection Interconnected lineage to people, land, ancestors, and the cosmos.
Whenua Land Symbolizes the sacred connection between people and Earth.