He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.

“What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.”

Above all else, people and human relationships are what matter most.

Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tuohu koe me he maunga teitei.

“Seek the treasure you value most dearly: if you bow your head, let it be to a lofty mountain.”

Pursue your highest goals, and compromise only for something truly worthwhile.

He waka eke noa.

“We are all in this canoe together, without exception.”

Everyone is in the same situation and must work together toward a common purpose.

Ka mua, ka muri.

“Walking backwards into the future.”

We look to the lessons of the past to guide our steps into the future.

Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi.

“With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive.”

When everyone contributes what they have, the whole community prospers.

Tama tū tama ora, tama noho tama mate.

“The person who stands lives; the person who sits perishes.”

An active, striving person thrives, while the idle one falls behind.