Whāia te iti kahurangi ki te tūohu koe me he maunga teitei

Aim for the highest cloud so that if you miss it, you will hit a lofty mountain

Ta te tamariki tana mahi wawahi tahā

It is the job of the children to smash the calabash

This proverb is similar to, boys will be boys. The calabash was a valuable tool for the transportation of food and water and was also used to heat water. A child who has clumsy and of a playful nature has no idea of the importance of this tool and through neglect may accidentally break it. This is not the fault of the child and they should not be punished for what is their nature. Here the calabash is a metaphor for rules and regulations, which from time to time children and adolescents may over step in order for them to develop themselves.

Sourced from

http://www.maori.cl/Proverbs.htm