Māori Guardianship Vocabulary
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Māori Guardianship Vocabulary
Case study: Te Awa Iti
After heavy rain, rubbish and sediment flowed into Te Awa Iti, a stream near a small coastal settlement. Members of the local community met to discuss what to do. They described the stream as a taonga: not simply an object with a price, but something precious with importance to people, place and future generations. A group of whānau—families and wider kin networks—began regular stream checks. They recorded water clarity, removed litter safely and planted native species along the bank. In this work, kaitiakitanga meant an ongoing responsibility to care for the natural world. A kaitiaki could be a person or group carrying out that responsibility; the word does not imply that one person owns or controls nature. The stream lies within the community’s rohe, its area or region of connection. Decisions also involved rangatiratanga: the exercise of authority and decision-making, including the responsibility to make choices for collective wellbeing. The group sought advice from local knowledge holders and scientists. They agreed that guardianship required both practical action and listening, and that restoring the stream would take time.
Read closely
Use details from the case study to show how these words work in context.
- taonga
- whānau
- rohe
- kaitiaki
- rangatiratanga
- a person or group carrying out a guardianship role
- families and wider kin networks
- something precious with significance beyond its price
- an area or region of connection
- authority and decision-making linked with responsibility
- It is valuable only because it could be sold.
- It is precious and meaningful to people, place and future generations.
- It is a possession belonging to one kaitiaki.
- It is rare because no other streams exist.
- The group recorded water clarity.
- The group planted native species.
- The group listened to local knowledge holders and scientists.
- The group decided one person should own the stream.
3 printable pages
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