Tikanga Māori and Māori relationships with land

This code provides general guidelines for people wishing to enter whenua Māori, but the authority for tikanga knowledge and application rests with respective mana whenua. There are variations in tikanga between iwi and hapū.

Tikanga whenua: guidelines for behaviour on Māori land

Whenua is the most valued resource — its special significance relates to Papatūānuku, the source of all creation.

The guidelines for appropriate behaviour on Māori land are known as tikanga whenua. Tikanga whenua is based on interconnectivity between people and the natural world through whakapapa. Knowledge about tikanga whenua helps ensure appropriate behaviour that does not cause cultural offence.

• Tikanga can include provisions relating to
• respect for taonga,
• wāhi tapu
• complying with prohibitions on access or taking resources (rāhui),
• other Māori sites, customs and practices. 

Check the tikanga for each place you visit, as there will be specific customs and requirements.

Responsible behaviour for access to Māori land

Māori land frequently has multiple owners but usually does not have public access rights. Seek permission from the owners or those they authorise, and request information about the relevant tikanga to be observed on that land.

You can cause cultural offence by ‘haere pokanoa’ (unauthorised wandering). 

Seeking permission may not be straightforward. You may need the help of the Māori Land Court and tribal runanga to identify property boundaries, owners and appropriate contacts. Where Māori trusts or Māori land corporations own land, it is often possible to contact these entities directly. The Māori Land Information Base, Pātaka Whenua, provides information on Māori land that may assist in obtaining permission.

Pātaka Whenua (Māori Land Court)

Wāhi tapu and rāhui on other land

In addition to Māori land issues, facilitating greater access for the public to either private or public lands can have consequences for Māori. There are examples where open public access has resulted in the desecration of taonga, such as wāhi tapu and sacred sites not identified on legal plans.

Tangata whenua must be free to reveal these locations and control this information as they see fit.

Access by Māori to taonga located on private land

It is important that mana whenua have access to taonga on private land. Some iwi authorities are working with private landowners to arrange better access to wāhi tapu and other taonga. This is an area where Herenga ā Nuku may help improve access, both through the use of existing access rights such as unformed legal roads and through negotiation and agreement with private landowners.

Marae information (New Zealand Tourism)

Kawa (Te Ara, The Encyclopaedia of New Zealand)