Te ao Māori
Te ao Māori, or the Māori world, is shorthand for the role that indigenous culture and principles, including the Treaty of Waitangi, tikanga (practices) te reo (the language) and more, play in society and government.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Governance
The Crown signed the Treaty of Waitangi with Māori in 1840 before pretending to forget all about it for over a century. A foundational constitutional document, the Treaty carries its own obligations and is significant to all questions of governance, including the make-up of Parliament.
Te Reo Māori
Te reo Māori is the first language of Aotearoa. While relatively few of us can speak it, more schools teach it, more media uses it and the population as a whole is learning more about it. Te reo Māori is a taonga under te Tiriti o Waitangi, and the Crown is responsible for supporting it to thrive.