NCEA Level 1 Tikanga-ā-Iwi cheat sheet

Tikanga-ā-Iwi: Core Concepts and Decision Rules

• Tikanga-ā-Iwi is the body of customary values and practices belonging to an iwi; it is iwi-specific, so a rule valid for one iwi is not automatically valid for another.

• Whakapapa (genealogy) is the primary organising principle: it links people to hapū, iwi, whenua, maunga, awa and moana, and it underpins rights to speak, stand, and decide.

• Mana is inherited and earned status; manaakitanga (generosity, hospitality) is the practice that maintains and increases mana, while actions that diminish others reduce it.

• Tapu and noa form a paired system: tapu marks restricted or sacred states, noa restores ordinary access; lifting tapu wrongly is a breach, and correct whakanoa procedures restore balance.

• Utu is reciprocal balance, not revenge; exchanges of service, goods or hospitality create obligations that must be settled to keep relationships intact.

• Kaitiakitanga is the duty of guardianship held by tangata whenua over land, water and resources; it is an obligation of care rather than a right of ownership.

• Decision rule: when customary practice and general law appear to conflict, identify whether the matter concerns taonga, whenua, or the person, then check the relevant statutory recognition (for example, the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 and the Resource Management Act 1991).

• Key terms to distinguish: tangata whenua (people of the land, with mana whenua), manuhiri (visitors), and mātāwaka (related peoples who are not tangata whenua of that place).