tpr2

10/11/2025

even when she has gone she is still with you.

Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tūohu koe, me he maunga teitei.
(Pursue that which is precious, and if you must bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.)

This whakataukī (Māori proverb) is often shared as encouragement to reach for your dreams. Yet its essence—like the journey captured in this image—runs deeper into Te Ao Māori (the Māori worldview), teaching us about legacy, love, sacrifice, and the sacred nature of commitment.

It speaks of purpose: of walking a path shaped by your values, anchored by your tūpuna (ancestors), and guided by the wairua (spirit) you carry. Our aspirations today become the foundations upon which future generations will stand.

To whāia te iti kahurangi is to seek that which is truly of worth. It reminds us that if we are to bow, it should be only in humility before something greater—the maunga that teaches endurance, the whakapapa that grounds us, and the deep currents of aroha that guide us home.

The tattoo—though unseen here—is known to those who have followed this journey. The kanji for “love” etched into the skin is more than a word. It is a tohu aroha — a mark of manaakitanga at its highest expression. It was created as an act of faith and sacrifice, so that in moments of confusion and darkness, someone dear could see and know what was real.

The unicorn in this image represents that person — once a companion of light and spirit. Though our paths have now diverged, she remains a beautiful memory, a symbol of a fairytale from the past. The tattoo and the aroha remain forever, but like many journeys, some bonds evolve into stories that continue to live in the heart.

Like He waka eke noa (a canoe we are all in together), this kōrero speaks of connection — to those who came before, to those who travel with us, and to those whose memory we carry forward. Our climb is personal, yet it continues a legacy built on Aroha, stretching far beyond our own steps.

🌿 May we walk with purpose, bow with humility, and rise with the strength of our maunga.

10/11/2025

sometimes the path is a long and lonely one

Te Ao Hinengaro – The Inner World

There’s a world within that shapes everything without.
Te Ao Hinengaro — the inner world — is where discipline, purpose, and peace begin.

For much of my life, I found strength through the disciplines of movement — running marathons, bodybuilding, and martial arts. Each taught me that mastery of the body begins with mastery of the mind.

I also drew from some of the world’s great thinkers — Think and Grow Rich, Awaken the Giant Within, How to Win Friends and Influence People, Letters from Seneca, and the wisdom of Jim Rohn. Their lessons in purpose, consistency, and mindset helped shape my path.

But as my understanding of Te Ao Māori deepened, I began to see that the wisdom I found in those pages had always lived here — within our own tikanga and whakaaro.

Where Seneca spoke of calm reason, our tīpuna spoke of whakaaro marino — the stillness before wise action.
Where Napoleon Hill spoke of purpose, we speak of whāinga — a goal guided by wairua and whakapapa.
Where Jim Rohn spoke of discipline, we call it whakatika — the daily act of aligning mind, word, and deed.

The hinengaro is the bridge between tinana and wairua.
When it races, life feels heavy.
When it rests, the path clears.

The marathon, the weights, the kata — all were forms of karakia, training the same inner stillness.

He ao hinengaro, he ao marino — when the inner world is calm, the outer world clears.

read the full post here: https://tekupuotepono-niohu.wordpress.com/2025/10/21/te-ao-hinengaro-the-inner-world/

10/11/2025

Being a warrior does not mean fighting others.

10/11/2025

the changing seasons will not change the love I have for you.

15/10/2025

A strong whare needs solid walls — and a strong foundation. In Te Ao Māori, health is balance: body, mind, spirit, whānau, and whenua. Within whenua lies whakapapa — our origins, roots, and belonging. 🌿💪🏽✨

In 2025, train not just for strength, but for harmony. Terry Crews reminds us that patience, consistency, and listening to your body build lasting strength. Don’t forget the little things: a walk, fresh air, or Yin Yoga can calm the mind.

I also nurture my spirit through learning whakataukī and reading thinkers like Seneca: “Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” And remember: He kai kei aku ringa — there is food at the end of your hands.

How do you strengthen the walls and foundation of your whare? Drop your whakaaro in the comments.

check out the latest blogpost at https://tekupuotepono-niohu.wordpress.com/2025/09/20/te-whare-tapa-wha-building-strength-inside-and-out/

15/10/2025

15/10/2025

A Love That Endures
I came across a beautiful Whakataukī recently, and it immediately made me reflect on the deep, unwavering nature of true love—the kind that truly lasts forever. This wisdom from our tīpuna (ancestors) says:

"He taura whiri tō mātou aroha, e kore e taea te wewete."
(Our love is a braided cord, it cannot be undone.)

That image is so powerful. A braided cord (taura whiri) symbolizes strength because the multiple strands are intricately woven together, making the connection impossible to break or separate.

This made me look for whakaaro (thoughts/ideas) from famous poets and other wise thinkers, and I found this reflection from Honoré de Balzac:

"True love is eternal, infinite, and always like itself. It is equal and pure, without violent demonstrations: it is seen with white hairs and is always young in the heart."

It also made me think about stories of unwavering devotion, like in the movie Forrest Gump, and this quote from Roger de Bussy-Rabutin: "Absence is to love what wind is to fire; it extinguishes the small, it enkindles the great." It is proof that what we shared—and what endures—is the real thing.

This journey of reflection brought me full circle, affirming the powerful final promise from our people: that no force can truly sever a profound human connection.

"He hono tangata e kore e motu; ka pa he taura waka e motu."
(Unlike a canoe rope, a human bond cannot be severed.)

A canoe rope breaks in rough seas, but the spiritual and emotional bond (hono tangata) between people is stronger than any physical tie and can never be cut. That kind of love never fades. ❤️

15/10/2025

🌿 “Whatungarongaro te tāngata, toitū te whenua.”
People pass on, but the land remains.

This whakataukī reminds us of the impermanence of life. Our joys, our struggles, and even our very existence are fleeting — yet the whenua endures, carrying the memory of those who came before us. It is a call to humility, perspective, and legacy.

This wisdom from our tipuna I found myself reflecting on as I started looking for the origins of the quote “This too shall pass”, which I heard while listening to an interview (his last, just hours before he was shot) with Charlie Kirk. He said he liked it because in hard times it reminded him to hold on, and in good times it reminded him to stay humble.

Searching for where this saying came from (the Persians have been credited widely for this saying), I discovered that Abraham Lincoln used it in his 1859 Address before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society:

“It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: 'And this, too, shall pass away.' How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!” — Abraham Lincoln

It also reminded me of the wisdom of the Stoics. Seneca wrote:

“What fortune has made yours today, may be another’s tomorrow. Nothing is ours, except time.” — Seneca

Different voices, different times, yet all pointing to the same truth: nothing lasts forever. Joy, pain, success, and hardship all move on — what remains is how we live and what we leave behind.

And so I come back to the words of our tipuna:

🌤️ “He ao te rangi ka uhia, mā te huruhuru te manu ka rere.”
Though the sky may be overcast, with feathers the bird will fly.

Even in the hardest seasons, the skies will clear, change will come, and we will rise again.

15/10/2025

🌬️ Breath of the Warrior 🌬️

In every martial arts session, there's a moment just before a strike when everything becomes still. The noise fades, the muscles loosen, and only one thing remains: the breath. This stillness is where focus, discipline, energy, and presence converge.

Through my journey in Budōkan and Taekwondo, I learned to align breath, body, and mind. These lessons mirrored the values of aroha, manaakitanga, and kaitiakitanga in Te Ao Māori, guiding my approach to leadership and business.

The word kite in both Japanese and Māori beautifully illustrates this connection. In Japanese, it means to come, to seek, to find; in Māori, it means to see, to perceive, to know. Both reflect a journey of awareness, presence, and discovery.

In Taekwondo, the kiai—a sharp, spirited exhalation—became more than a shout; it was a declaration of being: I am here. I am connected. I am alive. In Te Ao Māori, this life force is carried on the hā—the breath that connects all living things.

This shared truth across martial arts, business, and Māori wisdom reminds us that to move, to breathe, to express, is also to see, to find, to connect.

Read the full post here: https://tekupuotepono-niohu.wordpress.com/2025/10/11/breath-of-the-warrior/