Lincoln University Digital Dissertation - Lincoln University Research ...

Growers draw strength in tikanga, which is reflected in their respective
horticultural practice, taewa variety choice, horticultural knowledge and local
knowledge. Typically the growers in this case study cultivate a range of other
traditional Maori horticulture, such as kamokamo (squash, marrow), kaanga
(corn, maize) and kumara (sweet potato). The growers who were interviewed
tend to be older, although there were exceptions. Other demographic trends
were not apparent.
A major factor influencing these growers is a real desire to contribute to the
success and well-being of the next generation of Maori. There is a real desire
to contribute where they can to the growth and development of young Maori
and the growers interviewed see taewa production and other traditional
horticulture as being able to contribute positively towards this. Traditional
horticulture provides a means for these growers to realise culturally-significant
outcomes which provide unique opportunities for them to apply traditional
Maori values and practices.
4.3 Whakapapa
Noku te whenua, o oku tupuna
The land is mine, inherited from my ancestors
Whakapapa forms the very foundation of being Maori and of Maori society
and culture. Everything within the Maori world (Te Ao Maori), seen and
unseen, has a whakapapa which links it to everything else. According to the
growers interviewed, these links are paramount for Maori and are at the very
heart of Maori identity. Whakapapa creates that link between the present and
the past, connecting Maori directly to their ancestors and the ways of their
ancestors, instilling and reinforcing a cultural identity. As one grower
explained:
“What makes Maori, Maori? Why is someone who is Maori any different to
anyone else? The defining factor that makes anybody Maori is quite simply
whakapapa…That whakapapa doesn’t measure you by… the litres of blood or
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