HETTANZ: Kaupapa TIPU - (Digital Download) - Words for Technology Classrooms

Created for HETTANZ 2025, this is a special editon of TIPU with words for Technology Classrooms. This is a free digital download for participants in the Kura Rēhia workshop at HETTANZ. 

Can you act it, describe it, or use your wits to help your team guess the kupu?
Each round brings a new twist — so be quick, be clever, and ready to laugh!

You’ll use the same words across four exciting rounds, each one adding fresh challenges, inside jokes, and creative surprises.
With Māui as your mischief-maker, no two games are the same — from soundscapes to storytelling, every turn is a chance to grow your reo and your imagination.

Setting Up

1. Deal 10 word cards to each player.

2. Everyone secretly chooses 3–7 words they like (see the table below).

3. Shuffle all the chosen cards into one deck—these will be used for the entire game. Put the rest back in the box.

How to Play

TIPU is played over four rounds, using the same words each round. With every new round, a Māui card adds a fresh challenge!

1. On their turn, a player has 45 seconds to get their team to guess as many words as possible.

2. There’s no limit to the number of guesses. When a word is guessed correctly, place it face-up for everyone to see.

3. Skipping is allowed—kei te pai! Return it to the deck. 

4. Players take turns giving clues until all words have been guessed.

5. Take a moment to memorise the words, then shuffle them back into a deck for the next round.

Each round, a Māui card introduces a fun new twist!

Round Rules

Round 1 – Free Play

Say the Māori word, then give clues to help your team guess its meaning in English. You can act, explain, use it in a sentence—anything but saying the English translation!

Example:
Describer: "Katakata: When something is funny, I katakata! Ha ha ha!"
Guesser: "Laugh!"

Round 2 – Māui’s First Challenge

• Draw a Round 2 Māui card—this is your extra challenge!

• Say the Māori word, then help your team guess the English meaning.

• Tripped up by Māui or stuck on a word? Kei te pai — pop it back in the deck.

• This is the last time the Describer can say the Māori word—after this, the team will have to remember it!

Round 3 – Guess the Māori Word

• Draw a Round 3 Māui card and take on Māui’s next challenge!

• You can’t say the word in Māori or English — help your team guess the Māori word.

• If they can’t think of the Māori word, kei te pai — take note and pop it back in the deck. You’ll be ready when it comes up again!

Round 4 – The Ultimate Challenge

• Draw a Round 4 Māui card—this one will really test your creativity!

• Without saying the word in Māori or English, get your team to guess the Māori word.

• It might get silly, absurd, or feel impossible — that’s all part of the fun, and it helps you learn! Try referencing clues from earlier rounds. If you get stuck, kei te pai — just return the card to the deck for later.

Everyone wins when the final word is guessed in Round 4! 

Variations in Play: 

Race Mode (6+ players)

Feeling competitive? Split into two teams and race to the finish!
Each team gets their own set of word cards, but both teams use the same Māui cards each round.
The first to complete all four rounds wins!

 

---

 

Pass the Baton Mode (6+ players)

A fast-paced, team challenge!
Split into two teams and shuffle one shared deck of word cards.

1. Start the sand timer. A player from Team A begins, describing the words to their team. Keep a tally of the number of cards guessed correctly.
   
   

2. When time’s up, hand the deck of cards to a player from Team B to have their turn.
   
   

3. Keep alternating turns until all words are guessed.
   
   

Each correct guess = 1 point.
The team with fewer points goes first in the next round.
After four rounds, the team with the most points wins!

 

---

 

Māui Mayhem!

Keep things fresh by drawing a new Māui challenge every turn, instead of one per round! Draw them at random, or let each Describer choose their own twist.
Great for adding extra chaos, creativity — and more laughs!

 

---

Kaupapa Mode – Play TIPU with the Kaupapa Board Game

TIPU can be used as a beginner-friendly expansion pack for our board game, Kaupapa!
These illustrated cards make Kaupapa more accessible for beginners, younger players, and visual learners — perfect for mixed-level groups learning te reo Māori together.

How it works:

1. Sort the TIPU word cards into 5 face-down piles by category (e.g. Mahi, Taputapu, Wāhi, Taiao, Kupu Tupurangi).
   
   

2. When you land on a category space, draw from that pile and play the round as usual:
    Say the Māori word, and give clues to help your team guess its meaning.
   If you land on ‘Ingoa’ (rangatira/chief) — you’re the rangatira!
    Choose any category you like.
   
   

Once you’ve used all the TIPU cards in a category, hurō! 🎉
Graduate to the original Kaupapa deck and continue playing.