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He iti wai kōwhao waka e tahuri te waka.

“A small amount of water entering through a hole in the canoe can capsize the whole waka.”

Small oversights or minor faults, left unattended, can eventually cause great and serious failure.

— Traditional New Zealand Wisdom, New Zealand

Source: Traditional Māori whakataukī, public-domain oral tradition

More Proverbs from New Zealand

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.

Source: Traditional Māori whakataukī (proverb), public-domain oral tradition; documented in Mead & Grove, 'Ngā Pēpeha a ngā Tīpuna' (2001)

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.

Source: Traditional Māori whakataukī, public-domain oral tradition

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.

Source: Traditional Māori whakataukī, public-domain oral tradition

Ka mua, ka muri.

“Walking backwards into the future.”

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

Source: Traditional Māori whakataukī, public-domain oral tradition

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.

Source: Traditional Māori whakataukī, public-domain oral tradition

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.

Source: Traditional Māori whakataukī, public-domain oral tradition