Kaitiaki is a New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 term used for the Māori concept of guardianship, for the sky

Sky

The sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight. The sky is sometimes...

, the sea

Sea

A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...

, and the land. A kaitiaki is a guardian, and the process and practices of protecting and looking after the environment

Natural environment

The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....

 are referred to as kaitiakitanga and include rāhui

Rahui

In Māori culture, a rāhui is a form of tapu restricting access to, or use of, an area or resource by unauthorised persons. With the passing of the 1996 Fisheries Act, a rāhui can also be imposed by the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries...

 and tapu

Tapu

Tapu, tabu or kapu is a Polynesian traditional concept denoting something holy or sacred, with "spiritual restriction" or "implied prohibition"; it involves rules and prohibitions...

The term kaitiaki is also increasingly used in New Zealand for broader roles of trusteeship or guardianship—especially in public sector organisations, as these examples demonstrate:

• A proposed "Governance-Kaitiaki group" to oversee electronic authentication by government
• New Zealand's Chief Ombudsman is "Nga Kaitiaki Mana Tangata" in Māori
  Maori language
  Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
  
   (i.e. "The guardian of the people")
• The role of kaitiaki in the management of the Koha
  Koha (software)
  Koha is an open source Integrated Library System , used world-wide by public, school and special libraries. The name koha comes from a Māori term for a gift or donation .- Features :...
  
   software project

See also

• Māori influence on New Zealand English
  Maori influence on New Zealand English
  During the 19th century, New Zealand English gained many loanwords from the Māori language, mainly the names of birds, plants, fishes and places, but the flow stopped abruptly around the beginning of the 20th century...
  
  
• Māori language
  Maori language
  Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
  
  
• Māori religion
  Maori religion
  Māori religion is the religious beliefs and practice of the Māori, the Polynesian indigenous people of New Zealand.-Traditional Māori religion:...
  
  
• Rangi and Papa
  Rangi and Papa
  In Māori mythology the primal couple Rangi and Papa appear in a creation myth explaining the origin of the world. In some South Island dialects, Rangi is called Raki or Rakinui.-Union and separation:...
  
  
• Stewardship (theology)
  Stewardship (theology)
  Stewardship is a theological belief that humans are responsible for the world, and should take care of it. It can have political implications, such as in Christian Democracy.-Implications:...
  
  
• Hima (environmental protection)

Further reading

• Climate Survivor - fighting climate change in the Pacific

External links

• Kaitiaki.org.nz
• Kaitiakitanga.net
• Kaitiakitanga – guardianship and conservation in Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand