The English Laws Act and Māori Land Rights

The English Laws Act and Māori Land Rights

• The English Laws Act of 1858 introduced English law to New Zealand.
• This act formalized land as property, separating tangata (people) from whenua (land).
• Māori, as tangata whenua, traditionally did not separate land ownership from water ownership or the connection between people and land.
• English law emphasizes financial considerations in land management.
• Māori kaitiakitanga values prioritize the well-being of the land, believing people's well-being follows.

Competing Paradigms and Challenges

• The contrasting ideologies of land as property and kaitiakitanga have created challenges for Māori communities seeking to care for their land.
• The paper explores these challenges and the efforts of Māori communities to promote their own ways of living in harmony with the land.

Methodology and the Authors

• The paper includes interview data from Māori involved in community land-based initiatives.
• The authors are researchers with backgrounds in social science, public health, and Indigenous studies.
• Helen Moewaka Barnes is a multidisciplinary social scientist with expertise in Māori methods and methodologies.
• E. Eich is a researcher working with Indigenous communities in the Southwest, United States.
• S. Yessilth is a health educator and researcher with experience in working with Indigenous communities.