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after the birth of a child, traditionally the whenua (placenta) is returned to the
land and buried, thus connecting the person to the land.
2.3.3 Maori values
Harmsworth (1995) defines Maori values as:
“…any natural resource, area, place or thing (tangible or intangible) which is
of physical, economic, social, cultural, historic and/or spiritual significance to
tangata whenua (people of the land – Maori).”
For Maori, land as a resource is of immense cultural significance and is
strongly related to Maori values. It is a value in itself, and has many values
associated with it which derive from world views, traditions and histories that
have been discussed in previous sections. They are strongly interrelated and
although they are distinguishable, they can not be considered entirely
individually, requiring a holistic appreciation (Roskruge, 2006). Such a holistic
appreciation in Maori terms requires looking at the world from the perspective
that everything is connected through whakapapa. It also means seeing the
world as having four dimensions or states of reality (Durie, 1994; Harmsworth,
1995):
Te taha tinana – the physical dimension, what can be seen, touched,
heard, smelt.
Te taha hinengaro – the mental dimension, knowledge and
understanding of the environment.
Te taha wairua – the spiritual dimension, beliefs and feelings about the
natural world.
Te taha whanau – the family dimension, relationships to the
environment and to each other through whakapapa.
A fifth dimension – te (taha) mauri can also be used to further describe the
resultant well-being or health of these four dimensions.
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