Te Oranga o te Wairua (The Well-being of the Spirit) - Day 26
Te Oranga o te Wairua (The Well-being of the Spirit)
In a quiet village nestled between the lush mountains of Aotearoa, a young man named Rangi lived with his whānau. Rangi was admired for his sharp wit and industrious spirit. He dreamed of owning the finest taonga, treasures that would elevate his mana and make him the most respected rangatira in his iwi. Every day, he toiled in the bush, carving pounamu and trading with merchants from afar. Soon, his whare was filled with beautiful adornments, rare cloaks, and gifts from distant lands.
Despite his success, a strange emptiness lingered in Rangi’s heart. The more he gained, the less joy he felt. One evening, he sought the wisdom of Kuia Marama, an elder known for her connection to the wairua realm. She sat by the embers of her fire, weaving harakeke.
“Kuia,” Rangi began, “I have everything I ever wanted, yet I feel nothing but restlessness. Why is my heart not content?”
Marama looked up, her eyes shimmering like the stars of Matariki. “My moko, you have gathered treasures for the body but forgotten the treasures of the spirit. True oranga comes not from what you hold but from what you give.”
Confused, Rangi asked, “What must I give?”
The kuia handed him a kete woven with care. “Take this into the ngahere. Inside, place not things, but acts of aroha.”
Rangi obeyed, though he did not fully understand. In the forest, he saw a tūī struggling with a broken wing. He cared for the bird until it flew freely again. He came across a stream clogged with fallen branches and cleared its path. At a nearby marae, he helped an elderly man plant kumara for the coming season.
Day by day, Rangi felt his spirit lighten. His heart sang like the tūī, and his sleep grew deep and restful. When he returned to Kuia Marama, his kete was empty, but his heart was full.
“Kuia,” he said, “I see now. Happiness is not a prize to win but a river to flow through.”
The elder smiled. “You have learned the secret of manaakitanga, Rangi. By uplifting others, we uplift ourselves. Never forget the power of wairua, the bond that ties us to each other and to Papatūānuku.”
From that day on, Rangi lived not for wealth but for the well-being of his iwi and the land. He became a kaitiaki, a guardian of balance. His life was not marked by treasures of gold or greenstone but by the deep love and respect of his people.
And in giving himself selflessly, Rangi found a joy greater than he had ever imagined — a joy that echoed through the mountains, the rivers, and the stars.
Ka ora te tangata i te aroha. (Through love, the people thrive.)
Moral of the Story:
True happiness and fulfilment come not from accumulating material wealth or seeking status but from cultivating a deep connection to others, to nature, and to our spiritual essence. By practicing manaakitanga — selfless care and generosity — we not only uplift those around us but also discover the richness and peace within ourselves. In giving to others and honoring the wairua of all things, we find our place in the greater harmony of life.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.7% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.7% Other - I'll share below
Te Whakapono o Tūmanako - Day 30
The Faith of Tūmanako
In a small village nestled between the mountains of Aotearoa and the vast ocean, lived a young Māori man named Tūmanako. His name meant “hope,” and his kuia (grandmother) often reminded him, “Tūmanako, e moko, your name carries a promise to the world. You must learn to walk the tides of life with grace.”
One summer morning, Tūmanako’s world was upturned. A fierce storm rolled in from the sea, its winds howling like angry taniwha. His whānau’s (family’s) marae was badly damaged, and the crops they relied on were swept away. Despair gripped the village. Many cried to Tangaroa, the god of the sea, asking why such calamity had befallen them.
Tūmanako, too, felt the sting of loss. “Why, Kuia?” he asked his grandmother. “Why does life bring so much suffering?”
His kuia sat beside him, her face weathered with years of wisdom. She handed him a tī kouka (cabbage tree) leaf. “Take this, moko. Bend it.”
Tūmanako did as he was told. The leaf bent but did not break.
“Now, hold it tighter and twist it harder,” she said.
He twisted until the leaf sprung back and slapped his hand, leaving a sting. His kuia smiled gently. “This leaf is like life. It bends under the weight of the wind but refuses to break. Yet when we fight against it, we feel pain.”
Tūmanako listened but wasn’t sure he understood. His kuia continued, “Life is a cycle, moko, just like the seasons. There will be days of sunshine and warmth, and days when the rain soaks the earth. Both are needed for growth. To fight against the storm is to forget the blessings it will bring in its wake.”
In the following weeks, Tūmanako began to embrace his kuia’s wisdom. Instead of mourning the storm, he worked with the village to repair the marae. They sang waiata (songs) of strength and unity as they planted new crops. Tūmanako noticed the soil, enriched by the storm’s floodwaters, yielded more bountiful kumara than before.
Years later, Tūmanako became a respected rangatira (leader). When challenges arose, he would remind his people of the tī kouka leaf. “We are like this leaf,” he would say, holding it high. “Life’s storms will come, but we will bend, not break. Let us move with the winds, not against them.”
The people of the village came to cherish this teaching. They learned to greet hardships with calm hearts and open minds, trusting that every storm would eventually bring new growth.
And so, the wisdom of Tūmanako and his kuia lived on, teaching the generations that to accept life’s ups and downs with equanimity is to find inner peace and wisdom.
The moral of the story is:
Resilience comes from embracing life’s challenges with acceptance and grace. Just as the storm nourishes the earth, adversity can lead to growth and wisdom when met with an open heart.
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