A Descriptive Analysis of Maori Wardens in the Historical and Contemporary Context of New Zealand Society

Abstract

This thesis is about Maori Wardens as formal voluntary association in the historical and contemporary context of New Zealand society. From a statutory point of view, Wardens are expected to respond to breaches of liquor laws and unruly behaviour in hotels and on the marae. In real life, though, they resemble 'good Sam- aritans', who perform valuable if restricted service in facilitating a Maori adaptation to an urban milieu. Theoretically, Maori Wardens are depicted as a system of relations at different levels of interaction. To convey their dynamic totality, I draw upon a dialectical perspective of voluntary organizations. In doing so, a descriptive analysis of Wardens is produced which respects subjectivity, interorganization, conflict and change. In the first part of the study, Wardens are examined as social phenomena in their own right. This description includes an investigation of their normative system, organizational structure and subjective composition. The opposition and interplay between the intended and the actual is made explicit at different points of the system. The second half of the thesis explores their status within the larger environment. I concentrate on the cooperative and conflicting linkages with the Maori community and Maori Welfare organizations, the police and the liquor trade, and the New Zealand Welfare state. When seen in this larger context, Wardens perform as aqents of social control operating on behalf of the Pakeha but for the benefit of the Maori. I conclude the thesis by reconstructing a historical development of Maori Wardens from the mid nineteenth century to the present. In their own way, it is suggested Wardens have symbolized a traditional quest for Maori self-determination through the attainment of socio-economic parity and preservation of cultural distinctiveness.