Information skills: Mātauranga Māori

Find on this page, resources supporting rangahau or Māori research including sources to find whakapapa, mōteatea, whakataukī and other traditional ways of knowing. 

"Mātauranga Māori is about a Māori way of being and engaging in the world – in its simplest form, it uses kawa (cultural practices) and tikanga (cultural principles) to critique, examine, analyse and understand the world. It is based on ancient values of the spiritual realm of Te Ao Mārama (the cosmic family of the natural world) and it is constantly evolving as Māori continue to make sense of their human existence within the world...

Mātauranga Māori provides insight into different perspectives about knowledge and knowing. The Māori epistemological penchant for trying to understand the connections and relationships between all things human and non-human first, ‘what is its whakapapa?’ provides a contrast to the western paradigm that tries to seek knowledge and understanding by a close and deep examination of something or someone in isolation first, ‘what does it/he/she do? What is it for?’ An initial question is, ‘who or what is this thing I am seeing in this world and how do I relate to it?’ Western knowledge’s initial question is, ‘what is the role that this person or thing has?’ In summary, the emphasis on the human element and the impact on the human element differentiates a Mātauranga Māori approach from a Western Pākehā approach.

Mātauranga Māori in our mahi is not just creating a space for Māori ways of being and knowing, but valuing the richness that these whakaaro (ideas) bring to our kaupapa (agenda). It is understanding that there is no ‘one’ way to ‘know’ something. It is also understanding that the strength in our mahi (work) comes from multiple world views and the acknowledgement that Mātauranga Māori can deepen and enhance other theories (e.g. critical theories)"

(Kia Eke Panuku (n.d.) Mātauranga Māori.)