Te Ao Māori - the Māori world view Te Ao Māori (the Māori world view) is also of fundamental importance to understanding the human rights dimensions of Ihumātao. There is synergy between the fundamental tenets of Te Ao Māori, Ti Tiriti and the Declaration. The Commission also acknowledges that tikanga, kawa, customs and practices vary between iwi and hapū. Indeed, it is for mana whenua to determine how their customs and practices are interpreted and applied in different circumstances. Central to Te Ao Māori is the spiritual belief that human beings descend from Papatūānuku (the earth) and elements of the natural world. Standards of conduct according to tikanga Māori (Māori system of values, practices and norms that regulate social behaviour)20 vary among different hapū and iwi but are underpinned by core common values such as whakapapa, whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga and mana.21 Whakapapa (genealogy) and whanaungatanga (kinship, relationships and responsibilities) have been described as “the glue holding the Māori world together”.22 They underpin a world view where humans are genealogically connected to the natural world, and relationships – between people (past, present and future generations), and between people and natural resources – are of central importance. Kaitiakitanga (stewardship, guardianship) is a system of reciprocal rights and responsibilities that stem from those relationships, and which entail intergenerational obligations and also spiritual dimensions.23 The exercise of mana (authority, power, leadership) is also tied to the maintenance of these relationships and responsibilities. These core values speak to an indivisible relationship between Māori and whenua and are reinforced by the principles of the Declaration. Many of these Māori values are also shared by other indigenous peoples around the world and have been reflected in the Declaration. The collective nature of Māori and other indigenous societies, the sense of spiritual and genealogical connection to land, and emphasis on responsibilities to the land and to future generations, are all reflected in the Declaration’s provisions. The Declaration explains how international human rights standards should be interpreted and applied to the specific circumstances of indigenous peoples, in light of these common core features of indigenous societies, as well as the shared histories of colonisation and discrimination. 10