Ruamoko

At 3:37pm I felt a jolt and violent swaying for about ten seconds. Others describe a rocking motion. Felt all over the motu. A 6.5 earthquake: 30 km west of Taupo. Depth: 150 km.

Ruamoko te kupu o te ra - and the Pakeha appropriation of it especially relevant following this week's Wai262 decision:

Indigenous Flora and Fauna and Cultural Intellectual Property: Report Summary

On 2 July 2011, the Waitangi Tribunal released its report on the Wai 262 claim relating to New Zealand’s law and policy affecting Māori culture and identity.

Ko Aotearoa Tēnei (‘This is Aotearoa’ or ‘This is New Zealand’) is the Tribunal’s first whole-of-government report, addressing the work of around 20 government departments and agencies and Crown entities.

It is also the first Tribunal report to consider what the Treaty relationship might become after historical grievances are settled, and how that relationship might be shaped by changes in New Zealand’s demographic makeup over the coming decades.

The report concerns one of the most complex and far-reaching claims ever to come before the Waitangi Tribunal. The Wai 262 claim is commonly known as the indigenous flora and fauna and cultural and intellectual property claim. As the report’s preface puts it, ‘the Wai 262 claim is really a claim about mātauranga Māori – that is, the unique Māori way of viewing the world, encompassing both traditional knowledge and culture. The claimants, in other words, are seeking to preserve their culture and identity, and the relationships that culture and identity derive from.’

The report is divided into two levels: a shorter summary layer subtitled Te Taumata Tuatahi, which aims to be accessible to a general readership, and a fuller, two-volume layer subtitled Te Taumata Tuarua.

Must give it a read so I can post on it - may take a while.