Tikanga: Providing focus and structure for research

These scholarly, professional and personal experiences, along with the observation that relatively little formal scholarly investigation has been carried out into tikanga in business settings, have led me to the following overarching research objective: How is tikanga understood, valued and practised in Māori business and organisations?

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In an attempt to answer this broad research question, the relationship between Māori values and tikanga in business will be explored, as well as those factors that influence the way in which tikanga is understood, valued and practised in Māori business and organisations, such as personal or collective knowledge, shared understandings, community expectations, business or industry context, organisational policies and legislation to name but a few. Methodologies and methods that are founded on Māori perspectives, or are at least cognisant with Māori worldviews, have been utilised throughout this study, including the way in which this thesis has been written and structured. As explained earlier in this chapter, the title for this chapter comes from a ruruku that describes the process that was used to identify a suitable tree from which the Aotea waka was fashioned. The ruruku contain nouns derived from verbs, through a process known as nominalisation. Nominalisation involves adding a nominalising suffix to a verb (Harlow, 2007), thus transforming actions or events into concepts:

Keua mai i te pū I te weu, i te aka, i te tāmore He kimihanga

He torohanga He rangahautanga He kiteatanga He māramatanga He openga kia wātea te tuanga mō te toki

nei, mā Te Āwhiorangi

Awakened at the origin

In the rootlet, in the long thin root, in the taproot A quest

An exploration An investigation A discovery An insight

An outcome, creating a space for this adze, For Te Āwhiorangi

The concepts are not reserved specifically for waka making, but also apply in a research context. As such, this thesis is organised under the terms expressed in this ruruku, and although there are differing versions (Houston, 1935; Sole, 2005), the extract above is derived from that which was passed down from my great-grandfather, Hori Paamu Whakarake Tinirau.

This research, therefore, privileges Māori worldviews, Māori literature, Māori values and Māori practices. It is essentially a research by Māori (as a Māori researcher, and informed by Māori experience), with Māori (Māori organisational case studies and research participants), and for Māori (written for a Māori and indigenous audience). It does not follow a conventional thesis structure, but structures itself in a way that might be utilised in oral

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traditions and practices, such as speech or song making, where repetition occurs frequently, weaving together insight and examples from traditional times to contemporary situations, whilst also maintaining a view towards the future. This thesis uses Māori words, terminology and sentences frequently throughout. For the benefit of the reader, a glossary at the beginning of this thesis contains key words and translations, and these translations are also apparent within the body of the thesis, and follow the first introduction of those Māori words or terms. Where literature in te reo Māori is presented, translations are also provided, again for the reader’s benefit and information.

This chapter (‘Keua mai i te pū’) has outlined my understandings of tikanga, as I have experienced, interpreted and practised tikanga throughout my life. Furthermore, after examining stories associated with my koroheke, certain values that may underpin tikanga have been described, together with some general commentary regarding tikanga in contemporary settings. Chapter Two (‘I te weu, i te aka, i te tāmore’) focuses on ontology and methodology from which this research has grown, and the adapted research methods either stem from, or are cognisant of, Māori worldviews and practices. Chapter Three (‘He kimihanga’) is a quest into various tikanga, as referred to or described in a traditional waiata, providing insight into tikanga as it was understood, valued and practised by tūpuna. Chapter Four (‘He torohanga’) explores tikanga from the perspective of kuia and koroheke of my own hapū, Ngāti Ruaka/Ngāti Hine, as this generation provide the link between the ancestral realm and today’s world.

Chapter Five (‘He rangahautanga’) is an investigation and review of literature associated with tikanga generally, and tikanga in Māori economic development, business and organisational settings specifically. Following from this, five case studies of Māori businesses and organisations, largely from the Aotea waka area, will be presented in Chapter Six (‘He kitetanga’), and discoveries pertaining to tikanga reported. Chapter Seven (‘He māramatanga’) provides insight into the overarching values and tikanga that have been identified through the analysis and synthesis of the case studies. Finally, Chapter Eight (‘He openga, kia wātea te tuanga mō te toki nei, mā Te Āwhiorangi’) offers some general observations, implications, recommendations, limitations, and creates space for furthering knowledge by identifying possible research opportunities into the future. A thesis and

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chapter outline is presented in Table 1, with equivalents to chapters that might be found in other doctoral theses.

Chapter name / translation Description Chapter equivalent

1. Keua mai i te pū:

Awakened at the origin

Personal understandings,

interpretations and expressions of Māori values through tikanga

Background Philosophical and theoretical foundation Introduction 2. I te weu, i te aka, i te tāmore:

In the rootlet, in the long thin root, in the taproot

Explanation of Māori and indigenous worldviews, Māori research

methodologies, participating case studies and tikanga in the research process Ontology Methodology Research methods 3. He kimihanga: A quest

Review of the themes and tikanga as evident in traditional waiata

Literature review

4. He torohanga:

An exploration

Hapū understandings, interpretations and expressions of Māori values through tikanga

Community response

5. He rangahautanga:

An investigation

Review of tikanga literature, particularly pertinent to Māori economic development, business and organisations

Literature review

6. He kiteatanga:

A discovery

Presentation of views pertaining to Māori values and tikanga, as expressed by case studies and research

participants

Results

7. He māramatanga:

An insight

Analysis and synthesis of

understandings, interpretations and practices of Māori values and tikanga and the presentation of a conceptual framework

Discussion

8. He openga kia wātea te tuanga mō te toki nei, mā Te Āwhiorangi:

An outcome, creating a space for this adze, for Te

Āwhiorangi

General observations, limitations, recommendations for practice and future research

Conclusion Recommendations

Table 1: Thesis and chapter outline