Opinion: Our tikanga is a koha to the world
Māori have a unique koha to the world and it’s called tikanga which is our custom based on whakapapa, our relationship with all things animate and inanimate.
These customs bring obligations and responsibilities.
Manaakitanga means to ensure hospitality and generosity are at the fore at all times. Kaitiaki is an obligation to protect and defend everything and everyone in our realm of influence.
Ngahiwi Tomoana is the Chairman of Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated.
Tapu is the protection of people and places from transgressions by others. Muru and utu are forms of push back or revenge if tapu breaches are not corrected while raupatu means confiscation for wrong doing.
Noa renders a person or place neutral from retaliation. Rahui is a temporary prohibition for special reasons. And pure cleanses and purifies things.
Manuhiri, or visitors to our shores come under our protection and custom, our law, and we guard them as fiercely as we do our own.
When Te Tiriti was signed it was a vow from Māori to protect British subjects and anyone who came here under their umbrella. At that time Māori were the majority by a 1000 to 1.
The British swamped us, of course, and overlaid their laws and customs over our laws rendering ours as quaint and too soft, too odd and self-regulating to be effective. But these laws are hardwired into us. Take tiaki or protection for instance.
Māori fought to protect the British in the Boer War, WW1, WW11 all voluntarily! No one was conscripted. In fact, Māori declared war on Hitler’s Germany before the NZ government did to protect our manuhiri.
Subsequently, in Japan, Korea, Malaya, Singapore, Vietnam and other theatres of war including the Middle East, Māori have fought with distinction creating strong friendships, respect and battle creds with allies and enemies alike. We fought for each other.
The Māori Battalion had the highest percentage of Officer casualty rate because they led from the front rather than from up on a hill. Currently Māori are leading the charge in environmental enhancement, in social equity, in commerce and in communities.
On Thursday the Hastings District Council made a decision from a strong mana base against hate-filled vitriolic attack from racist fundamentalists who do not tolerate anyone else’s customs but their own.
The Hastings District Council rose above that yesterday to include Māori on their statutory committees. Those Māori members will bring our tikanga, our customs of kaitiaki, active protection of our lands and waterbodies from pollution and degradation, active empathy to struggling communities, enriched vigour to allocation of resources and new understandings to the engineering dynamic.
“Gosh I’ve never been so proud to be from Heretaunga!”
Underarm bowling was referred to on Thursday, targeting the Māori appointments. What about the manmade Havelock North water disaster and the scarring of Rongokako? Underarm indeed!
And furthermore, two non-Māori were appointed to these same committees without howls of "unfair play" or "public referendum". Tau ke HDC! Well done!
It took the tragedy in Christchurch for the Prime Minister to use terms like aroha, manaakitanga and kotahitanga. This was echoed loudly and lovingly throughout the land and the world by commentators from all sectors.
Thank goodness our council has shown leadership in imbuing our tikanga in its engine rooms and think tanks from now on. Our tikanga is a koha to the world.
Tihei Heretaunga!
