Missing in translation: Maori language and oral tradition in scientific analyses of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK)

Recent conceptual shifts in ecology towards integration of humans into ecosystems requires all possible sources of ecological knowledge available (Berkes 2004, 2009 this issue). Māori traditional ecological knowledge of natural systems (TEK) can add valuable ecological data to more conventional scientific studies as the former tends to be diachronic, based on a cumulative system of understanding the environment founded on observations and experience (Gadgil et al. 1993; Berkes 2008), while the latter is frequently synchronic, with experiments that may explore causal effects in ecological patterns (Newman & Moller 2005; Moller et al. 2009a). However accessing TEK can be both difficult and time-consuming, as demonstrated by the 14-year research project Kia Mau Te Tītī Mo Ake Tonu Atu (the ‘Keep the Tītī Forever’ research project; Moller et al. 2009a). We argue that oral traditions offer a wealth of information that is frequently overlooked, in part because of a lack of knowledge of te reo Māori (the Māori language) and, further, a lack of recognition of the inextricable link between biological and cultural diversity (Maffi 2005)

Rata, the Effect of Māori Land Law on Ahikāroa

Rata, the effect of Māori land law on ahikāroa is an examination of the special relationship a whānau of Ngāi Tahu (ki Wairoa) has had since 1868 with their ancestral land Tutuotekaha. The effects of Māori land law on traditional concepts of land tenure are analysed from the advent of the Native Land Court in the 1860s through to a modern shareholding in the Anewa Trust. An analysis of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 looks at the basis for the current legislation and how the principles are applied in the case study central to this thesis, an application to have Rata farm returned to the Whaanga whānau. The research and writing is multi-disciplinary, combining history, Māori land law (ture) and Māori land lore (tikanga and traditional ecological knowledge). An auto-ethnographic approach is balanced by the commentary and judgements of the Māori Land Court and the Māori Appellate Court which are documented in the final section of the thesis. This thesis questions the canons of Māori land ownership and management – consolidation, amalgamation and incorporation – and posits whether these forms of land holding have become yet another type of alienation. The three main areas are I) Ahikāroa Chapters 2 and 3 examine traditional Māori land tenure; definitions of mana whenua, the obligations as well as the authority; and traditional ecological knowledge, agriculture and Māori land lore. The latter illustrates ways of knowing the land, how, why and when its resources were used. Members of the community of Iwitea were interviewed to provide accounts of usage of some of the traditional resources known to remain on the Tutuotekaha blocks. II) From gardeners and gatherers to agricultural shareholders Chapters 4, 5 and 6 examine the shift from traditional tenure and land usage to large-scale agricultural shareholdings. The changes as land passed through the Native Land Court from 1868 are contextualised within the upheaval and radical reconfiguring of Māori society in the Mahia and Wairoa areas as Pākehā settlement increased, and the region was engulfed by the Hauhau and Te Kooti conflicts. This section contains an overview of Māori land law from 1862 to 1987 and the ideological conflict between the colonisers and the colonised. As well, it looks at the influence of Sir James Carroll and Sir Āpirana Ngata, the reasons that Māori went into large-scale farming and how Ngata’s 1931 policies set the model for the incorporations and trusts that still hold most of the district’s Māori land today. III) Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, philosophy versus implementation Chapters 7 through to 11 centre on Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 and the application to the Māori Land Court to partition Rata farm from the Anewa Trust. The philosophy of the Act is examined, aided by Deputy Chief Judge Fox’s commentary. This section documents the processes of filing the application to partition, the discussions and outcomes of a judicial hearing, two Māori Land Court hearings and subsequent appeals to the Māori Appellate Court

Maori Values Can Reinvigorate a New Zealand Philosophy

This thesis explores Maori values that can be seen in traditional Maori philosophy and attempts to define those values and how they are recognizable in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The thesis argues that through techniques such as discourse ethics where people agree to talk through differences, Maori values could be seen and incorporated in common New Zealand concepts, such as giving each other a ‘fair go’, for the betterment of the people and the land. This thesis argues for a new philosophy, a New Zealand philosophy. What we value, we protect and teach so that it encourages, what we might call, an attitude of ethical behaviour in all people regardless of class, ethnicity or gender. This ethical attitude is itself part of the Maori value. However in Aotearoa, as around the world, there are differing normative behaviours because of the plurality of value systems. Sometimes dispute settlement techniques are needed to find ways to live together in harmony. My approach incorporates two international methods in a New Zealand perspective. These are: Jurgen Habermas’s ‘Discourse Ethics’ based on his participatory conception of life where more ‘having your say’ not less, can solve the problems of contemporary living; and the ancient social science of Dharmasastra of Indian Philosophy which is the concept of dharma as support for the world. Where ‘Discourse Ethics’ invites communicative action, the concept of dharma goes further than Western normative codes by connecting human ethical ideals with a philosophical attitude towards the nature of the world, a type of moral code. I apply both these philosophic strategies to the quest for a moral conversation and moral justification between the world views of Maori and non Maori (Pakeha) to achieve cultural harmony both within and across cultures in this country. This moral conversation is the bed-rock of a New Zealand philosophy. Chapter one outlines the traditional sources of Maori values and how they were linked to tikanga, a Maori concept expressed as the nature and function of a thing. This tikanga concept can be compared to the ‘good’ of a thing in Greek Philosophy. I then expand on this tikanga concept to show how the values encapsulated a Maori world view as a traditional philosophy of cosmological order. I discuss the place of tradition as a source of Maori knowledge and the importance of karakia (rituals) as mediation to connect tikanga (function) with the world view that is expressed through the practise of values. In Chapter Two I introduce a discussion on the values that the Europeans (Pakeha or non-Maori) brought with them as colonists and the effect these had on Maori philosophy. To illuminate these Pakeha and Maori values, I use Patterson and Perrett’s comparison of Maori philosophy with that of the Western tradition of Plato and Aristotle, as well as Patterson’s ‘Maori Values’ and his later development of a ‘Pacific Philosophy.’ I critique Patterson and Perrett’s findings with contemporary tohunga (Maori ritual experts) regarding the use of karakia (rituals) to mediate values. It is in the realm of the metaphysical that karakia (as ritual mediation) meets with a major influence on Western values, Christianity. I support the argument that it has been a predominantly one-sided process of adaptation, with Maori having done most of the adapting of Christian values into a Maori worldview. But I argue that for Pakeha, an openness to Maori values as ethical guides could be a fertile ground to nurture a moral conversation about common values and the attitudes that spring from them. My thesis takes those differing values of Maori and Pakeha and engages in discourse ethics to bridge the gap. As Habermas’ communicative action is based on not excluding any assertion but seeking to find common standards, I have looked at examples of contemporary New Zealand life, such as claims to the Waitangi Tribunal regarding New Zealand resources, to see if the seeds of communicative action are there. Habermas’ common standards are: that rational agreement requires participants to back up special claims by reason not coercion; no person or assertion is excluded from the debate; all must be prepared to meet the argument halfway with a universalistic morality; values must be open to question in the light of rationally justified norms; participants need to value sincerity, understanding and reason as principles to live by. I see the values of individuals being revealed through the policies and practices of the institutions of the nation they constitute and this is my practical method of making values and attitudes both explicit and able to be humanly found. For example the New Zealand justice system is examined through the values it practises in an attempt to explain the large number of Maori in prison. Maori law lecturer, Moana Jackson sees an antagonism between the individualistic punitive system New Zealand has inherited from Britain and the more communalistic values of Maori tradition. This theme is developed in Chapter Three which examines the contestation between Maori and Pakeha values and the hybrid norms that have evolved. Chapter Four attempts to find common philosophical ground between Maori and Pakeha and provides a unique model for resolving value disputes based on a New Zealand philosophy. In this thesis I employ Dharmasastra (Indian moral code) as a comparative social science with Maori and Western philosophies to defuse a potential claim of bias by Maori or Pakeha against the use of each other’s norms to determine common New Zealand values. I show how this Indian philosophy can fit well with the nuances of both Maori and Pakeha views through comparison and critique. Dharmasastra, as a social science that supports righteous actions, is close to the Maori dictionary meaning of a value as, ‘something that is desired by the heart (ngakautia).’ Even Western-based environmental philosophy acknowledges that intrinsic value rates along with instrumental value. When Maori and Pakeha values are aligned with Dharmasastra’s fundamental goal of the betterment of society, the values can be seen to be common and thus have more chance of being harmonized in practical everyday actions. From a Pakeha perspective, giving one-another a ‘fair go’ is an important value, such as saying that ‘Jack is as good as his master.’ It means the ideal to strive for, is that everyone is given a fair chance in the New Zealand society. From a Maori perspective, an acceptable Pakeha value is one that is ‘tika’ or appropriate for this country and thus can be harmonised as a conceptual tool in a New Zealand philosophy. An example of where these Maori and Pakeha perspectives meet in a ‘moral conversation’ is agreement on the continuing redress of historic injustice via treaty claims. Here pragmatism is the chief value but it also requires reasonableness, sincerity and patience

The success stories of wāhine Māori : before, during and after social work education : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Social Work degree at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Wāhine Māori social workers are influential within both personal and professional realms. The success they achieve permeates not only through their whānau but extends in the ongoing work undertaken within communities, social service agencies, within academia and within their social work practice alongside service users. This research explores the success stories of six wāhine Māori social workers and their journeys in life and education before, during and following successful achievement of tertiary social work degrees. This research identifies forces which have influenced their success from both historical and contemporary contexts within Aotearoa and presents insight into how wāhine Māori achieved this success. This research employed a qualitative approach founded in Kaupapa Māori and Mana Wāhine theory in order to capture the voice and experiences of wāhine Māori. These wāhine have overcome and navigated many forces in their lives whilst achieving many successes within educational endeavours and within professional social work practice alongside whānau, hapū and iwi. This research found that wāhine Māori social workers have strong attributes of both resilience and determination. The greatest motivation of which, in all phases of their journeys was found to be children. Wāhine Māori value education that contributes to growth within themselves, is founded within their worldview. This research highlighted that wāhine Māori carry many responsibilities however it is evident that wāhine Māori measure success through reciprocal relationships and the roles they have within their whānau. A strong influence within the journey and successes of these wāhine Māori comes from within their own whakapapa. This research has been undertaken by a wāhine Māori social worker and educator. It contributes to the growing efforts of wāhine Māori within scholarship and demonstrates that wāhine Māori continue to achieve success regardless of the forces surrounding them within their lives

Risk of stomach cancer in Aotearoa/New Zealand: A Māori population based case-control study.

Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, experience disproportionate rates of stomach cancer, compared to non-Māori. The overall aim of the study was to better understand the reasons for the considerable excess of stomach cancer in Māori and to identify priorities for prevention. Māori stomach cancer cases from the New Zealand Cancer Registry between 1 February 2009 and 31 October 2013 and Māori controls, randomly selected from the New Zealand electoral roll were matched by 5-year age bands to cases. Logistic regression was used to estimate odd ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between exposures and stomach cancer risk. Post-stratification weighting of controls was used to account for differential non-response by deprivation category. The study comprised 165 cases and 480 controls. Nearly half (47.9%) of cases were of the diffuse subtype. There were differences in the distribution of risk factors between cases and controls. Of interest were the strong relationships seen with increased stomach risk and having >2 people sharing a bedroom in childhood (OR 3.30, 95%CI 1.95-5.59), testing for H pylori (OR 12.17, 95%CI 6.15-24.08), being an ex-smoker (OR 2.26, 95%CI 1.44-3.54) and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in adulthood (OR 3.29, 95%CI 1.94-5.59). Some results were attenuated following post-stratification weighting. This is the first national study of stomach cancer in any indigenous population and the first Māori-only population-based study of stomach cancer undertaken in New Zealand. We emphasize caution in interpreting the findings given the possibility of selection bias. Population-level strategies to reduce the incidence of stomach cancer in Māori include expanding measures to screen and treat those infected with H pylori and a continued policy focus on reducing tobacco consumption and uptake