The Legal Definition of 'Māori'
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TE TUMU SCHOOL OF MĀORI, PACIFIC & INDIGENOUS STUDIES Manawa whenua, wē moana uriuri, hōkikitanga kawenga From the heart of the land, to the depths of the sea; repositories of knowledge abound ______________________________________________________________________________ Te Papa Hou is a trusted digital repository providing for the long-term preservation and free access to leading scholarly works from staff and students at Te Tumu, School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. The information contained in each item is available for normal academic purposes, provided it is correctly and sufficiently referenced. Normal copyright provisions apply. For more information regarding Te Papa Hou please contact [email protected] ______________________________________________________________________________ Author: Natalie Coates Title: Kia tū ko taikākā: Let the heartwood of Māori identity stand - An investigation into the appropriateness of the legal definition of ‘Māori’ for Māori Year: 2009 Item: 4th year Honours Dissertation University: University of Otago http://eprintstetumu.otago.ac.nz KIA TŪ KO TAIKĀKĀ LET THE HEARTWOOD OF MĀORI IDENTITY STAND An investigation into the appropriateness of the legal definition of ‘Māori’ for Māori A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours), in Māori Studies at the University of Otago, Dunedin Natalie Ramarihia Coates October 2008 i ABSTRACT Māori are not a homogenous people. In contemporary society Māori come in all different sizes, shapes, colours, social conditions, cultural affiliations, religions and opinions. Given this diversity there are thus some complex and often controversial issues involved in determining who should be able to qualify as being Māori. Despite this complexity the law sets out who can qualify as being ‘Māori’ in one clear and concise sentence. Currently, this definition in general encompasses anyone with Māori descent. The main thesis of this dissertation is to determine whether this legal definition of Māori is appropriate for Māori. Ultimately, it is concluded that there is a more appropriate definition of ‘Māori’ that could be employed within the law. However, Māori need to take a more active role in controlling this definition. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I dedicate this dissertation to my koroua, Wharekaihua Coates Kei te tū koe i tōku taha i ngā wā katoa Ki te wāhi ngaro, kua whetūrangihia ki te korowai o Ranginui, ki te okiokinga i o tātou tīpuna, haere, haere, haere rā. Ki ngā tangata katoa e āwhina ana, e tautoko ana i ōku mahi rangahau i tēnei tau, he mihi tino nui tēnei kia koutou katoa. Ko koutou ōku poutokomanawa, ōku tokatū moana hoki. Ā, ahakoa he itiiti noa ōku kupu i runga i tēnei pepa, he iti nā te aroha. Although my name is on the front of this dissertation I cannot take sole credit for the final product. This is thus my opportunity to acknowledge those people who played a vital part in the completion of this dissertation. I would firstly like to acknowledge my supervisors, Paerau Warbrick and Jacinta Ruru. Paerau, my dear uncle, I know you have had a busy year working on your PhD so I thank you for always having your door open. I enjoyed our chats – even though they had a tendency to go on massive tangents. Your cheerful demeanour was always appreciated and of course your input into my dissertation was invaluable. Jacinta, I would like to thank you for not only being an awesome supervisor, but also a friend. I don’t know how you managed to find the time to read through my drafts given that you received a wonderful new bundle of joy just as crunch time arrived. I hope you know how much I appreciate all that you have done for me this year. iii Mr Wayne Roia you are my rock and my voice of reason. Sorry about my absence at home, the long late nights that I had to spend at university and that you had to bear the brunt of my stress. Your unwavering support has kept me going and I love you for that. I’m sorry that next year is going to be a repeat but you should definitely stick around – hopefully it will be worth it in the end and I’ll be raking in the millions by the time we’re 60. To my study buddies Courtney Sullivan (the tohunga of where to put the ‘s’), Carel Thompson- Teepa (the queen of referencing) and Suzanne Boyes (my fantastic proof reader) – we made it!! This year has certainly been a memorable one. The late nights, the lack of sleep, the cabin fever, the mean feeds, the laughs, the chats, and the stress were all things that culminated in our office being named the ‘whare pōrangi’. But despite all the ups and downs, I would just like to thank you guys for being a great help this year. I feel it was a real team effort and we have three awesome dissertations and a Masters in progress to show for it!! Ki a koe Poia Rewi, e te rangatira, ko koe tētahi o ōku pou whirinaki. Kāore e taea e au te whakapuaki ōku tino mihi aroha ki a koe mō tō āwhina i tēnei tau. To my parents, thank you for making me the person I am today. To mum in particular, who helped me with the painstaking task of proof reading, I absolutely appreciate your help. You guys are the best and most supportive parents anyone could ask for. In fact, an acknowledgement needs to go to my entire extended whānau – you are all awesome. Ā, kāore e kore i warewaretia e au ētahi tangata. Nō reira anei ōku mihi whānui ki ngā tangata katoa e āwhina ana i ahau i tēnei tau. A final thank you to everyone who has helped me this year – you know who you are. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents .............................................................................................................................v Glossary ....................................................................................................................................... viii Preface ..............................................................................................................................................x INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................1 My Place within this Dissertation ....................................................................................................3 Summary of Chapters ......................................................................................................................8 Methodology ....................................................................................................................................9 Technical Terms.............................................................................................................................11 CHAPTER ONE: CONTEXTUALISING THE TERM ‘MĀORI’ AND ITS USE WITHIN THE LAW.....................................................................................................................................12 The Origins of a Collective Māori Identity ....................................................................................13 The Legal Definition of a Māori Collective ..................................................................................15 (a) Historically: Half blood or more ..........................................................................................16 (b) Currently: A Descendant .....................................................................................................18 A Third Option: Self-Identification ..........................................................................................20 Why Māori are Distinguished within the Law ...............................................................................21 v CHAPTER TWO: THE CONSISTENCY OF THE LEGAL DEFINITION OF ‘MĀORI’ WITH A MĀORI VIEW .............................................................................................................24 Whakapapa as the Crucial Factor Determining ‘Māori’ ................................................................26 Controversy over Whakapapa being the Key to Identity ...............................................................28 The Exclusionary Effect of Whakapapa ...................................................................................28 Māori vs the Tribe .....................................................................................................................29 Māori and Māoritanga ...............................................................................................................32 Māori and Tikanga Māori Values .............................................................................................36 Whanaungatanga ..................................................................................................................37 Utu ........................................................................................................................................39 Mana .....................................................................................................................................40 Manaakitanga .......................................................................................................................41 Ahi kā ...................................................................................................................................41