To represent my personal philosophy of teaching and learning I have sought inspiration from Maori beliefs and the native forests of New Zealand, particularly the deployment of the koru and the symbolism it represents and the guardianship of Tane Mahuta. For me, using this context provides an authentic and recognizable framework upon which to build my own teaching and learning metaphor. The koru is an iconic emblem of New Zealand; with its spiral shape slowly opening up to become the majestic silver fern and Punga. Symbolizing new life, the koru represents perpetual growth and movement whilst maintaining its internal spiral as its point of origin (Te Awa, 2014), for me this embodies a student and their educational journey. When a student begins his or her schooling, he or she is like a tightly coiled koru, and as he or she develops throughout his or her educational years, he or she acquires the tools and knowledge necessary to become strong Punga trees. The perpetual growth and movement symbolized by the koru, to me, is the perfect metaphor to represent the key competency in the New Zealand curriculum of being a lifelong learner (Ministry of Education 2007). Being a lifelong learner is especially important to me and comes from an early age where I was provided with a home and school environment where I was encouraged to follow passions and areas of interest. This support created a thirst for knowledge in me that continues today with the completion of my tertiary education. In my teaching experience this belief was strengthened when students were given the opportunity to follow their passions. Students then took advantage of these opportunities by transforming what was a "simple" lunchtime experiment into a larger student construct...... middle of paper ...... Retrieved from http://www. kaitiakitanga.net/stories/ origine%20research.htm.Ministry of Education. (2007). New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media. Teachers Council of New Zealand. (2004) Code of ethics for registered teachers. Retrieved March 17, 2014, from http://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/required/ethics/codeofethics.stmRoyal-Tangaere, A. (1997). Māori human development learning theory. In P. Te Whaiti, M. McCarthy, & A. Durie (Eds.), Mai I Rangiatea: Māori wellbeing and development (pp. 46–59). Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland University Press.Smith, C. (2005). Demonstrate positive values. In M. Cole (ed.) Professional Attributes and Practice (pp. 48–63) Oxford: RoutledgeTe Awa. (2014) Te Ara The Encyclopedia of New Zealand, History: Maori creation traditions. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/2422/the-koru.