Kaitiaki

Kaitiaki is a New Zealand term used for the Māori concept of guardianship, for the sky, the sea, and the land. A kaitiaki is a guardian, and the process and practices of protecting and looking after the environment are referred to as kaitiakitanga and include rāhui and tapu

The term kaitiaki is also increasingly used in New Zealand for broader roles of trusteeship or guardianship—especially in public sector organisations, as these examples demonstrate:

• A proposed "Governance-Kaitiaki group" to oversee electronic authentication by government
• New Zealand's Chief Ombudsman is "Nga Kaitiaki Mana Tangata" in Māori (i.e. "The guardian of the people")
• The role of kaitiaki in the management of the Koha software project

See also

• Māori influence on New Zealand English
• Māori language
• Māori religion
• Rangi and Papa
• Stewardship (theology)
• Hima (environmental protection)

Further reading

• Climate Survivor - fighting climate change in the Pacific

External links

• Kaitiaki.org.nz
• Kaitiakitanga.net
• Kaitiakitanga – guardianship and conservation in Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand