Matauranga Maori can be defined as "the knowledge, comprehension, or understanding of everything visible and invisible existing in the universe' and is often used synonymously with wisdom. Maori seem to be very holistic thinkers when it comes to everything. I'm a person who gets their kicks from being able to see the forest after looking at just one tree can relate to that. Upon reading "We never separate the sea from the land and the land from the air", I can see how Maori could often feel uneasy during consultation about what to do with a tree, when the forest isn't at all talked about. I think I would too, but I see why our system is the way it is. Learning more about Maori views and ways is something I am very open to. Often, I think we get very caught up in the specific meaning of words; when I listen I am quite willing to consider the different meanings that could be intended than just what it sounds like, and I am happy to acknowledge even if I don't convert to a way of thinking. I am open minded and sceptical at the same time, it comes case by case, but communicating and learning is always a beneficial thing.
I had a quick read of Nga Kaihange Hau - For Maori Future Makers, and I came across a nice quote by Professor James Belich in the Introduction: "Polynesians and the British are two of the most expansive and reproductive peoples human history has ever seen" and it brought the thought to me that it is quite amazing that both were brave enough to venture out into the far south, and both fortunate enough to be rewarded with the chance to live in such a beautiful country for their efforts. So much of the world is already overpopulated with people, or has temperatures not as comfortable as here in New Zealand. Maori and non-Maori are by global standards of colonisation getting along quite well, but there is still hostility, and remembering how long ago many of those wrongs were I find it quite annoying that they are something I have to concern myself with (having played no part personally). It is nice when someone speaks of that which we have in common and is good. There's plenty of wrongs that people have done a long time ago, the most popular topic is how the colonisers wronged Maori, but one of the ones that hardly ever gets mentioned is the wrongs Maori committed to Moriori. So in my view, I'd rather just talk about the future.
Quite fittingly, that brings me on to The Pakeha of the Future by Mitzi Nairn (2011) who wrote a really nice essay which persuades the reader to consider what it was like back around the 1840's when Maori and the colonisers met and negotiated. As an immigrant who is proud to live in and feels at home in New Zealand, just like her, I was very interested in her opinion. I can imagine the picture that she paints, of people coming together and enjoying the learning of eachother... but that is something that broke down between then and now and I have to admit that I don't know enough about the story to even guess why. I feel like it's unlikely I'd get an unbiased account at this stage (one of the main reasons I haven't tried), but I have a new resolve after reading this beautifully crafted essay to investigate the topic sometime; it's hit home that it's kind of vital if I want to master sustainability, especially in this place.
Here is another resource on this topic: http://www.towards2060.org.nz/mua/
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