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Story: Te mana o te wāhine – Māori women

Hine-nui-te-pō and Māui

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Hine-nui-te-pō and Māui

This carved pou (post) depicts Hine-nui-te-pō, the goddess of death, with the demigod Māui trying to enter into her to kill her.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PAColl-6585-10

by Charles A. Lloyd

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Rawinia Higgins rāua ko Paul Meredith, Te mana o te wāhine – Māori women – Atua and tipua, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/31552/hine-nui-te-po-and-maui (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Rawinia Higgins rāua ko Paul Meredith, published 10 May 2011, updated 1 June 2017.