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Management issues: Kaitiakitanga
Introduction
“We are all descended from Papatuanuku; she is our Kaitiaki and we in return are hers.”
Kaitiaki is a word derived from the verb “tiaki” – to guard, to protect, to keep, to watch for, to wait for. With the prefix “kai” denoting the doer of the action. Hence a “Kaitiaki” can be translated as a guardian, and kaitiakitanga the act of guardianship.
Kaitiakitanga is already acknowledged in legislation and is defined as follows:
“…the exercise of guardianship by the tangata whenua of an area in accordance with tikanga Maori in relation to natural and physical resources, and includes the ethic of stewardship (s.2. NZ RMA 1991); and
“…the exercise of guardianship; and in relation to any fisheries resources, includes the ethic of stewardship based on the nature of the resources, as exercised by the appropriate tangata whenua in accordance with tikanga Maori” (s2, NZ Fisheries Act 1992).
However, there is concern that current legislative definitions do not fully express what kaitiakitanga is about and that any attempt to define it in anything other than te reo Maori will always be insufficient.
Kaitiakitangais about the comprehensive spiritual and environmental code which governs tangata whenua use of NZ’s biological resources. This ancestral code is directly concerned with the care and protection of mauri, which according to the traditions of tangata whenua, is the dynamic life principle that underpins all biodiversity1.
Kaitiakitanga has been exercised well before the Treaty of Waitangi. Article II of the Treaty guaranteed that hapu would retain the authority they needed (rangatiratanga) to continue to exercise kaitiakitanga. While the Crown gained the right to govern and to make laws under Article I of the Treaty, the Crown must heed the guarantees it made under Article II when designing and implementing its policies and laws.
Maori customs, values and attitudes derive ultimately from an indigenous body of knowledge which seeks to explain the origin of the universe. Two aspects fundamental to this cosmogony are whakapapa (genealogy) and the personification of natural phenomena. Maori cosmogony basically projects a slightly different set of ecosystems: Tumatauenga, domain of human society and mastery of fire and stone–rapping; Tanemahuta, domain of forest biota; Tangaroa, domain of aquatic biota; Rongomaraeroa, domain of cultivated and stored crops; Haumiatiketike, domain of wild staples (bracken fern root, flax, koromiko, nikau, ponga, edible ferns); Tauhirimatea, domain of physical forces.
Traditionally the transfer of knowledge had always involved expert individuals, tohunga and wananga (schools of learning). Modern influences have seen this system gradually decline and the recording, collection and dissemination of matauranga Maori has increasingly taken other forms. As well, we have seen the gradual decline in the traditional knowledge being passed on to whanau, hapu and iwi. A wealth of knowledge has been lost and is in danger of disappearing forever. Many kaumatua have traditional knowledge related to cultural activities and experiences associated with our native biodiversity.
Therefore, kaitiakitanga contains many elements that can be described as:
- Founded in whakapapa – the relationship between everything and everybody in the natural world. There is no distinction between people and their environment.
- Exercised on behalf of, and for the benefit of all who are related through whakapapa
- A set of inalienable responsibilities, duties and obligations that are not able to be delegated or abrogated
- A web of obligations: to the taonga, to the atua and to ourselves and our uri. Kaitiaki have a responsibility to provide for everyone and ensure everyone benefits.
- Seamless and all encompassing – making no distinction between moana and whenua
- Given effect at whanau and hapu level
- Wider and more complex than existing legal definitions
- Given practical effect by:
- exercising control over access to resources, and
- sharing the benefits of the use of those resources
- Enabled through rangatiratanga, which includes the authority that is needed to control access to and use of resources, and to determine how the benefits will be shared. This means that it can be expressed in part through the concepts of “ownership”, “property”, “title” or “stewardship”. But it is much wider than any of these.
While the principle of inclusion of Maturanga Maori particularly kaitiakitanga in environmental management is recognised and accepted, but there is virtually no action or practice of how it is to be integrated. There are conflicting management approaches between government agencies which are in conflict with tangata whenua management approach. The challenge for the IKHMG is to better understand cultural perspectives and to integrate and implement them in practice.
We are seeing some practice of kaitiakitanga, or guardianship, happening through waterway plantings, Kaitiaki fisheries training, treaty settlements, participation in environmental and health programs and community groups. From a strategic and catchment–wide viewpoint these actions are not enough to return the Kaipara to a healthy and productive state. Therefore, Te Uri o Hau, alongside other hapu of the harbour, are leading the Integrated Kaipara Management Group project because they are responsible for both the knowledge (maturanga) and the practice (tikanga) of kaitiakitanga. This is a duty, which they are bound by both culture and tradition to maintain. Te Uri o Hau are committed to ensuring that today’s kaitiaki will play a significant role in the monitoring and protection of the health of the Kaipara catchment and the effects of development.
References:
- Marsden, Rev. M. (1992). Kaitiakitanga. A definitive introduction to the holistic world view of the Maori.
- Environs Holdings Ltd. 2007. Te Uri o Hau Effects Assessment Report. Of a Proposal by Crest Energy Ltd to Construct and Operate a Tidal Powerstation in the Kaipara Harbour. August 2007. 65pp.
1 Adapted from Matiu & Mutu 2003 and Te Papa Atawhai Kaupapa Maori Strategic Policy, 2001
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