Tuhituhi / Writing
Tuhituhi / Writing
This domain assesses written Māori for task achievement, organisation, grammar, vocabulary, and conventions. You may write a formal letter or email, a description, an opinion, or a short narrative. Marks come from controlling your own sentences, not from using rare words incorrectly.
Core rules and concepts
- Plan the shape. A formal message needs a greeting (Tēnā koe e te Kaiwhakahaere), purpose, specific request or information, and closing (Ngā mihi). A narrative needs orientation, complication, resolution.
- Connect ideas. Use tuatahi, tuarua, engari, ahakoa, nō reira, and hei whakamutunga. These show structure.
- Control particles and endings. Match i, ki, mō, nā/mā; use passive endings correctly (-hia, -tia, -ngia, -a, -ina).
- Check macrons and spelling. kōrero and korero are not interchangeable spellings in examined writing; whānau needs the macron.
Worked example
Task: write a short formal email asking for information about a hui. Model: “Tēnā koe e te Kaiwhakahaere, E pātai ana au mēnā kei a koutou ētahi puka mō te hui ā-Tāite. Me pēhea te rēhita? Ngā mihi, [ingoa].” Reasoning: the greeting is formal; e pātai ana au states the purpose; mēnā introduces the indirect question; koutou addresses a group; the closing is conventional. Each sentence does one job, which examiners can see quickly.
Traps that cost marks
- Using kōrua for a group; koutou is three or more.
- Calquing English idioms instead of using Māori patterns.
- Writing one long sentence with several ka clauses and losing the subject.
- Forgetting the audience or the specific task in the prompt.