What are the names of the sky father and earth mother in Maori mythology?

The sky father and earth mother in Māori mythology are Rangi and Papa.

Rangi, also called Ranginui, represents the sky, while Papa, or Papatūānuku, represents the earth. They are portrayed as a primordial couple whose close embrace once left their children in darkness between them. Their separation explains how light, space, and the ordered world came into existence.

In a widely known version, their son Tāne pushes the parents apart. Ranginui rises above as the sky, and Papatūānuku remains below as the nurturing earth. The children include major atua such as Tāne, Tangaroa, Rongo-mā-tāne, Tūmatauenga, and Tāwhirimātea. Māori traditions vary by region and source, so details—including the number and identity of the children—are not identical everywhere.

The pair are often shortened in English-language references to “Rangi and Papa,” but the fuller forms Ranginui and Papatūānuku are also standard. Tāne and Tangaroa are their children, not the sky father and earth mother themselves, which makes that option a common but important mix-up.