No wai koe? : whakapapa, records and the role of iwi runanga in defining Maori identity

Abstract

This research project explores the management of whakapapa records as a way of assessing Maori records management and documenting the changes that whakapapa is undergoing. The research applies qualitative methodology with Kaupapa Maori principles using a Kaupapa Maori theoretical framework. This framework recognises the importance of empowering and advancing the cause of Maori within research. This study seeks to determine the current kaitiaki practices within Iwi runanga regarding whakapapa and how these organisations reconcile the general traditionalist view of whakapapa with that of whakapapa being viewed and kept as registration records. The research shows that whakapapa is a robust and dynamic concept of Maoritanga that continues to be a fundamental cultural assumption with an important role in determining Maori identity. The research has found that whakapapa has adapted somewhat as an elaboration of a western record through colonialism but still maintains cultural integrity. Iwi runanga have gained greater rangatiratanga and are gaining further empowerment by re-affiliating iwi members, while this is a positive outcome the process has wider implications for Maori identity.