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How Traditional Māori Ethics and Values Have Been Applied in Contemporary Māori Land Development

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How Traditional Māori Ethics and Values Have Been Applied in Contemporary Māori Land Development

Tihē mauriora
The breath, the energy of life

Ki te whaiao, ki Te Ao Mārama
To the dawnlight, to the world of light

My understanding of the question is that I am to demonstrate my view of Mātauranga, (traditional Māori knowledge) and Kaupapa Māori (traditional Māori ethics and values) and how they are incorporated into today’s world. I will be relating my interpretation specifically to sustainable land development and the principle of Kaitiakitanga, that is, the guardianship of land and the environment in current times. To accomplish this I shall first present my understanding of Māori World View, define ethics and values and describe …show more content…

In today’s world it is also used in conjunction with past, present and future, local as well as traditional knowledge (Landcare Research, 2014).

The European colonists of New Zealand did not recognise principles of Mātauranga Māori. However, during the late twentieth century awareness has grown and it has become more recognised and is now becoming incorporated into today’s practices (Landcare Research, 2014).

Manaaki Whenua (Landcare Research) is a Crown Research Institute that is trying to understand and incorporate the principles of Mātauranga Māori. They have produced many collaborative research programmes with Mātauranga Māori woven in. These programmes incorporate Māori values in relation to land use planning, ecosystems, wetlands, estuary monitoring and restoration. They also include indigenous forestry and much more, for the purpose of ensuring sustainability for future generations (Landcare Research, 2014).

The programmes developed have overcome complex and diverse issues using many epistemologies (multiple philosophies) along with traditional methods to resolve them. Māori world view is that we as humans are an integral part of the ecosystem which is inherent to whakapapa. This holistic view often conflicts with scientific views, so the primary concern with these programmes has been to create frameworks

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