Working with Families Experiencing Vulnerability A Partnership Approach

Māori people are known as tangata whenua, the indigenous people of the land of Aotearoa New Zealand who traditionally existed in tribal collectives on customary lands with distinctive cultural identities. This chapter explores the evolutionary journey Māori whānau have undergone; from their inception and arrival in Aotearoa, to the effects of colonisation with the arrival of settlers, and the subsequent cultural revitalisation that led to their transformation. Whānau are the primary social unit of traditional Māori society which was multilevel, interconnected, collectivist and protective. In the Māori language, the word whānau means to be born, denoting a kinship affiliation by birth. Whānau groups were traditionally located in villages which formed sub-tribes known as hapū. Numbers of hapū situated in defined geographical territories formed tribal collectives known as iwi, and each iwi governed by a Chief (rangatira). Māori and non-Māori anthropologists described that whānau typically consisted of up to three generations living collectively and harmoniously on their traditional lands with an agreed language, belief system and values that guided their lifestyles.