Rangatiratanga is a well-understood term in
Te Ao Māori having three aspects: a system
of Māori leadership that is connected to hapū
and mana; as tino rangatiratanga, a term used
in the 1835 Declaration of Independence and
in the 1840 Tiriti o Waitangi indicating a “mosthigh form of chieftainship”; and the term
“encapsulating the political struggle to uphold
sovereignty and self-determination as whānau,
hapū, iwi, and as a nation”.57 In a survey of those
learned in Te Ao Māori, researchers found that
“rangatiratanga has many layers of meaning” and
is about “collective leadership, and an individual
leadership underpinned by political awareness.
Rangatiratanga is a style of leadership that is
people led … Rangatira weave people together
and maintain connections despite the multiple
complex ways that connections are being attacked
and broken down.”58 The writers noted that the
most significant outcomes were the unity in
thinking about rangatiratanga, the need to fight for
rangatiratanga and “the consistency of values that
underpin rangatiratanga”.59 Rangatiratanga covers
“all levels of well-being”.60
While the concept of rangatiratanga can be applied
in different contexts and has some complexity,
there is a strong association of rangatiratanga
with accountability. Rangatiratanga is the
leadership within which the collective process of
accountability as well as responsibility takes place
in Te Ao Māori context. Without rangatiratanga
leadership, self-determination and autonomy,
accountability mechanisms, that is tikanga Māori,
are not able to operate appropriately.
Te Matapihi He Tirohanga Mo Te Iwi Trust
Te Matapihi He Tirohanga Mo Te Iwi Trust was
established in 2010 as the independent national
peak body for the Māori housing sector. The
Māori housing sector is made up of (but not
limited to) whānau, Māori collective landowners,
hapū and iwi, the Iwi Chairs Forum, marae, Māori
service providers and community providers, Te
Tumu Kāinga and Māori involved in the housing
sector, including building and related professions.
Te Matapihi emerged from the 2010 National
Māori Housing Conference in Rotorua and was
officially launched in 2012 at the watershed
National Māori Housing Conference in Waitangi.
Te Matapihi was formally registered as a charitable
trust in order to specifically advocate for Māori
housing outcomes at a national level, offer an
independent voice for the Māori housing sector,
assist in Māori housing policy development at
central and local government levels and support
the growth of the sector by providing advice,
facilitating collaboration and sharing high-quality
resources and information.61 Te Matapihi is an
example of a kaupapa Māori-based organisation
that also consists of a board and operational team
who whakapapa Māori. These aspects locate Te
Matapihi in the rangatiratanga sphere with regards
to its origins of establishment and accountabilities/
obligations primarily to the Māori housing
sector and communities. While Te Matapihi is a
trust and therefore has legal requirements for
responsibilities and accountabilities, it operates in
Te Ao Māori sphere and reflects the whānau, hapū
and iwi contextual understanding and application
of accountability. While operating at a national
level, all Māori members (of the trust) and staff are
expected to reflect Māori principles and values.
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