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  • In the heart of the North Island of New Zealand lies a mountainous terrain called Te Urewera, the spiritual homeland of the Tϋhoe people. Hidden away in the southern portion of Te Urewera is Waikaremoana, a lake and a land with a history and tradition that are as fascinating as they are controversial. Waikaremoana is the 'tūrangawaewae' of the Ngāti Ruapani section of Tūhoe, and it is they and their lands that are the key focus of this M.A thesis. This thesis deals essentially with the concept of land ownership or mana whenua. It analyses the relationship between customary and colonial concepts of mana whenua in the Waikaremoana district, and examines the conflicting nature of these two different cultural concepts of the land and its history. In many ways this dissertation is unique, as it is a tribal history written by tangata whenua for tangata whenua. It allows today's tangata whenua to see their history through their predecessor's eyes and reawakens the past struggles of their ancestors. It gives tangata whenua a sense of dignity and pride in their heritage and traditions that give them their identity. 'Ko te uri o Tūhoe, moumou kai, moumou tāonga, moumou tangata ki te pō!'

  • This thesis explores the ambivalent nature of Maori political theory as expressed through the writings of Donna Awatere in her publication Maori Sovereignty. Consequently it traces the intellectual history of Maori political thought with a particular emphasis on how Maori have traditionally perceived and advanced their ‘sovereignty’ and its equivalent term, ‘tino rangatiratanga’. The reason for this emphasis is to show how Awatere changed Maori perception of their tino rangatiratanga when she coined the phrase ‘Maori Sovereignty’ in 1982. This work offers an insider’s account into New Zealand’s ‘movements of unity’ that had occurred during the 1970’s and 1980’s based on Awatere’s personal experiences and involvement in various groups. Further it sets out to capture the influences and events that led Awatere to write Maori Sovereignty in order to demonstrate how she had advanced Maori understanding of their tino rangatiratanga. In addition, its attempts to broaden Maori understanding of their tino rangatiratanga by analysing Awatere’s political theory in juxtaposition with global trends, more specifically, the decolonisation and nationalistic processes that occurred in the decades following World War Two. This thesis argues that Maori Sovereignty differed greatly from any other work previously written by both Maori and Pakeha as it challenged existing interpretations of how Maori had perceived and had advanced their tino rangatiratanga. Subsequently, Maori Sovereignty has carved its place as one of New Zealand’s most debated and misunderstood publication to ever come out of the 1980’s and because of this, the lack of proper analysis has given cause for this thesis.

Last update from database: 8/17/26, 4:11 AM (UTC)