Te mauri o te mātauranga: purihia, tiakina! | Principles for the care and preservation of Māori materials

Our principles for the care and preservation of Māori materials. Te Mauri o te Mātauranga: Purihia, Tiakina! The spirit of knowledge: protect it and take care of it!

Four principles

The four principles we follow for the care and preservation of Māori materials are:

  • Kaitaiakitanga | Guardianship

  • Te mahi tahitanga | Relationships

  • Te whakaatu i ngā kōrero mō te kaituhi | Attribution

  • Te whakapakari i ngā kaimahi | Cultural development

These four principles give effect to the National Library's commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi and represent operational ‘best practice’ in terms of managing cultural property.

The principles are also used to inform operational policies relating to all aspects of collection management, access and use, including non-Māori materials.

Te mauri o te mātauranga: purihia, tiakina! | The spirit of knowledge: protect it and take care of it!

Kaitiakitanga

He kaitiaki a Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa nō ētahi o ngā taonga-ā-tuhi, ā-whakaahua hoki, o Aotearoa. E toru ngā huarahi i riro mai ai ēnei taonga; ko te hoko mai tēnā, ko te hōmai tēnā, ā, ko te waiho mai anō hoki tēnā. Tēnei Te Puna Mātauranga te kī atu nei, āe, he mauri ō ēnei taonga, arā he wairua ora e hono ana i te taonga ki te iwi nāna te taonga i waihanga. He mea whakatō te mauri ki roto i te taonga i te wā o te waihangatanga. Kei te ora tonu te mauri, kei te hono tonu i ngā tīpuna ki ngā iwi hapū.

E noho whakarara ana tēnei kaupapa, arā te kaitiakitanga, ki ngā ture me ngā tikanga mana whakairo hinengaro. Āta whakaae ana ngā kaitiaki ki ngā takohanga o te tiaki me te tohu i ngā taonga, me te pupuri i te āhuatanga kotahi o te taonga me tōna mana, mō ngā rā kei te heke mai, mō nāianei, ā, mō ngā rā kua hori.

Guardianship

The National Library is a guardian of New Zealand's documentary heritage, of taonga or treasures, which have been collected through purchase, donation or deposit. The Library acknowledges that taonga have mauri, a living spirit, that connects a physical object to the kinship group involved in its creation. The mauri is instilled in an item on its creation. It remains an active part of it and links tīpuna or ancestors to descent groups.

This concept of guardianship is held parallel to, and in addition to, conventional legislation and intellectual property systems. Guardians take on the responsibility to protect and preserve the physical objects as well as their integrity and significance for future, present and past generations.

Te mahi tahitanga

E hiahia ana a Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa ki te mahi tahi ki ngā whānau, ki ngā iwi hapū e whai wāhi ana ki ngā taonga kei Te Puna Mātauranga e puritia ana. Ka noho ēnei mahinga ngātahitanga hei kaupapa whakatau i ngā whiriwhiringa katoa e pā ana ki ngā āhuatanga katoa o te whakahaere i ēnei taonga, tae atu ki ngā mahi tohu, ki ngā whakaaturanga,ki ngā mahi whakaatu anō hoki i ngā kōrero mō te kaituhi. Ka mana tonu tēnei tikanga mehemea nā Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa te taonga,ko ia rānei te kaitiaki o te taonga, ki tā te ture titiro, kāhore kē rānei.

Relationships

The National Library seeks collaborative relationships with families and descent groups connected to taonga in its collections. These relationships are drawn on to make decisions about all aspects of the management of these items, including conservation, exhibition and attribution regardless of whether the Library is legally the owner or guardian of the item in the collection.

Te whakaatu i ngā kōrero mō te kaituhi

Tēnā ka rangahaua, ka tuhia iho ngā kōrero, ki ōna taumata e taea ana, mō te kaituhi me tōna ao, me te whakamihi atu ki te mauri o te taonga me ngā iwi hapū e whai wāhi atu ana ki te taonga.

Inā whakatakoto a Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa i ētahi kirimana whakamahi i ngā taonga, me mātua whakauru atu ngā kupu whakamihi e tika ana, me nga kōrero anō hoki mō te kaituhi. Mehemea kāhore i te mōhiotia ēnei kōrero, ka tuhia kētia tētahi kōrero mō te hiahia o Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa ki te whai atu i ēnei kōrero kia mau i a ia. Inā whakaaetia ana te whakarerekē i tētahi taonga, iētahi taonga rānei hei kaupapa mō tētahi mahi hou, e kī ana a Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa me āta whakamihi mai ki te taonga, te pūtaketanga mai o te mahi hou nei.

Attribution

Contextual information and descriptive attributions, which acknowledge the mauri of taonga and their connections to iwi and hapū will be explored and recorded as fully as possible.

When the National Library makes agreements about the use of taonga, it will require appropriate acknowledgement and attribution of taonga. Where such information is not available the Library's commitment and desire to increase knowledge about taonga will be stated. When agreement is given for works to be modified or incorporated into the development of a new work, the Library will require appropriate acknowledgement of source material.

Te whakapakari i ngā kaimahi

E āwhinatia ai ngā kaimahi e noho takohanga ana ki ngā mahi tohu me ngā tikanga o te mana whakairo hinengaro, me whai wāhi atu rātau ki nga kaumātua, ki ngā kaimahi Māori rānei, e āhei ana ki te whakatakoto huarahi atu ki ngā iwi hapū.

Ehara hoki i te mea ka noho te kōrerotanga ki ngā kaimahi Māori hei whakakapi mō te mahi ngātahitanga ki ngā iwi hapū.

Ka whakaarohia, ka kōkiritia ētahi mahi whakangungu kaimahi, hei whakahōhonu i te
mōhio a nga kaimahi o te whare pukapuka ki nga tikanga hāpori a ngā iwi o te motu.

Published 2 February 2021

Cultural development

Staff, particularly those with responsibilities for decision making in the areas of conservation and intellectual property, will have access to kaumātua and or Māori staff with the ability to promote effective relationships with iwi and hapū.

Consultation with Māori staff shall not be an acceptable substitute for the development of collaborative relationships with iwi and hapū.

Professional development opportunities, aimed at deepening the cultural understanding of Library staff, will be developed and maintained.