Māori and Indigenous Geographies

[NB In some Māori cultures it is inappropriate to 'blow your own horn' and, in addition, my Māori colleagues are both too hard working and modest to feel comfortable spending time on creating this website. Accordingly, this website has been written by a Pākeha to acknowledge Dame Professor Evelyn Stokes and her Māori colleagues' achievements in creating a strong Māori Geography presence.]

Geography, Tourism and Environmental Planning at Waikato are particularly strong in Māori Geography and are interested in geographies of other indigenous peoples. The approach recognizes that there is no one 'Māori Geography' and that Māori have distinct theoretical perspectives, methodologies and understandings that vary within and between different iwi, hapu, and whanau. You do not have to be Māori to specialize in Māori Geography, but those with sufficient Reo are strongly encouraged to enroll in geography papers designed specifically for Māori language speakers and as such there are a wider range of courses and research opportunities available to them. Māori Geography offers a useful adjunct for those specializing in Geographies of Development or studying in the School of Māori and Pacific Development. The 'Māori Lands and Communities' paper (GEOG219) is very strongly recommended for students pursuing Environmental Planning.

Our Programmes seek to develop students' awareness of Māori theoretical perspectives with respect to geography. One of the objectives of our papers is to increase students' awareness of how Māori not only relate to but also interact with the natural world in a historical and contempory context. These papers are also designed to enhance students' knowledge of participation by Māori within Waitangi Tribunal processes, and to enhance student understanding of colonization and post-colonization, and especially the impact of Treaty Settlement processes, on Māori. These are contextualised through comparison with the experience of indigenous peoples in other countries. Research within the department follows similar directions.

The strong presence of Māori Geography and Māori staff within our Programmes owes much to the leadership of Dame Professor Evelyn Stokes. A historical geographer, Evelyn has been with us since its inception and is a permanent member of the Waitangi Tribunal and the longstanding representative of the New Zealand Geographical Society on the New Zealand Geographic Names Board. The reputation of Māori Geography in the department over the years owes much to Māori geographers such as Tikitu Tutua-Nathan, Henare Johns, Teina Boasa-Dean, Bessie Karu, Pania Melbourne, and Angeline Greenshill.

Māori geographers at Waikato research and teach both historical and contemporary issues. Staff and students are involved through research, whanau commitment or professional work with iwi and government agencies in issues ranging from specific Treaty claims and resource management and planning cases to national issues like Genetically Modified Organisms and the Oceans Policy. Māori Geography provides the focus of much of the historical geography within our Programmes and also provides a useful perspective from which to explore colonial and post-colonial historical geography more generally.

Studying Māori and Indigenous Geographies

Waikato is the only geography programmes in New Zealand (and we assume the world) where some geography papers are taught in Te Reo (Māori language) at second and third year level. These are distinct papers of and on Māori geographies, not translations of Western geographies or of other papers offered within the department.

Aspects of Māori geographies appear in most of the courses taught in our Programmes, but Māori students find the presence of several Māori staff and the ability to take courses in Te Reo within a recognized traditional discipline create a supportive atmosphere for their learning.

Indigenous people and those interested in indigenous issues in other countries find ready opportunities for sharing and detailed comparison of their and Māori experiences. Additional study relevant to indigenous peoples in other countries can be undertaken through the Development Studies field within the Geography Programme.

Core Māori Geography papers

GEOG219 Māori Land and Communities
GEOG323 Colonial Treaties and Tribal Lands

Students wishing to specialize in Māori Geography at graduate (honours) level are advised to take:

GEOG515 Māori Geography
GEOG590 Directed Study (supervised research project expected to focus on an aspect of Māori Geography)
One other Geography graduate paper
One graduate paper from Te Tari Māori - The Department of Māori Studies

Recent research in Māori and Indigenous Geography

Click here to see recent graduate student Māori geography research.

Greensill, A. (1999). 'The Waikato Rauputu Lands - Post Settlement Realities'. Abstract, Twentieth New Zealand Geography Conference, Palmerston North: 334.
Greensill, A. (2000) 'GE from a Māori Perspective'. Interview, Earthwise, Access radio, Christchurch.

Greensill, A. (2000). 'Māori Participation in the RMA Process'. Presentation to the New Zealand Planning Institute.

Greensill, A. (2000) 'Tainui'. Interview, Morning Report, National Radio, 29 November, 2000.

Jay, M. (2000). "Legislation and practice in the protection of indigenous biodiversity in production landscapes." In J.L. Craig, N. Mitchell and D.A. Saunders (eds) Nature Conservation 5: Conservation and Production Environments: Managing the Matrix. New South Wales: Surrey Beatty & Sons, 586-593.

Johns, H. (1999). 'Resource Based Settlements or Comprehensive Settlements? 'Half a Dozen of One, and Six of the Other''. Abstract. Twentieth New Zealand Geography Conference, Palmerston North, New Zealand Geographical Society: 335.

Melbourne, P. (2000). 'Power Relations and Two Different Worlds'. Conference presentation in "Flowers, Fale, Whenua and Fa'a Samoa", held in Apia, Samoa.

Morad, M. and M. Jay (2000). "Kaitiakitanga: protecting New Zealand's native biodiversity." Biologist 47(4): 197 - 200.

Quirk, A. (1999). 'Warrior Bound: Charting the destiny Maps of the Urban Māori Warrior'. Abstract, Twentieth New Zealand Geography Conference, Palmerston North: 338.

Rennie, H., Thomson, J. and Tutua-Nathan, T. (2000). Factors Facilitating and Inhibiting Section 33 Transfers to Iwi. Hamilton/Cambridge, Geography Department, University of Waikato/Eclectic Energy: 82pp.

Rennie, H. G., Thomson J and Tutua-Nathan, T (2000). 'Towards transferring Resource Management Act powers, functions and duties to iwi: A case study with Ngati Awa', unpublished report commissioned by the Minister for the Environment's Sustainable Management Fund.

Stokes, E. (1999). Wiremu Tamihana Tarapipipi Te Waharoa A study of his Life and Times. Hamilton, Department of Geography, University of Waikato: 325.

Stokes, E. (2000). "Modern Treaty making with First Nations in British Columbia." Waikato Law Review, 8, 117-152.

Stokes, E. (2000). The Legacy of Ngatoroirangi Māori Customary Use of Geothermal Resources. Hamilton, Department of Geography, University of Waikato.

Thomson, J., H. Rennie, and T. Tutua-Nathan (2000). 'Transferring Resource Management Act functions to iwi and other public authorities: Asymmetric progress'. Twentieth New Zealand Geography Conference, Palmerston North, New Zealand Geographical Society: 301 - 304.

Urich, P.N. and Edgecombe, M. (2001) 'Bohol's Indigenous Social Institutions: A Development Perspective'. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society. 27:178-201.