Taking taniwha seriously

Kingsbury, Justine

doi:10.1007/s44204-022-00052-0

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Adopting neutral realism with respect to taniwha pūrākau is, in my view, an effective way to move towards achieving that goal. In particular, it enables avoidance of the two types of response that Kingsbury rightly argues we ought to avoid, "both the kind of mockery evinced in the media response to Karutahi and the merely tolerant and potentially patronising response of John Key to Horotiu" (Kingsbury, 2022). Each of these kinds of response is likely to result from failing to even attempt to adopt the perspective of te ao Māori.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…She acknowledges that there is an apparently insurmountable barrier for non-Māori, particularly those who are sceptical about the supernatural, to regard taniwha as real. But, Kingsbury argues, regarding taniwha as real is a small step towards respecting te ao Māori, which is something we ought to do (Kingsbury, 2022). She therefore proposes a particular way of taking taniwha discourse seriously that attempts to steer a middle path between taking it literally and giving an instrumentalist interpretation of it.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Taking Taniwha seriously: a neutral realist interpretation of Kingsbury’s approach

Dyke

2022

AJPH

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In "Taking Taniwha seriously," Justine Kingsbury proposes a way for taniwha pūrākau-traditional narratives about taniwha-to be taken seriously by non-Māori, which is one step towards respecting te ao Māori-the Māori world view. Taniwha are powerful water creatures who act deliberately to protect and sometimes punish humans. So characterised, there is an obvious obstacle to those who wish to respect te ao Māori but who are sceptical about the existence of supernatural entities. Kingsbury proposes a way to take taniwha discourse seriously, but not literally. I agree that her view is realist, and that it overcomes the obstacle noted above. I argue in this paper that her approach ought to be considered an instance of what I call neutral realism, and that when we characterise it this way, we can see precisely how it enables the sort of intercultural respect that she seeks.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Taking Taniwha seriously: a neutral realist interpretation of Kingsbury’s approach

Dyke

2022

AJPH

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“…However, Hikuroa has made significant strides in bridging the gap in this discourse, highlighting the importance of Taniwha puuraakau (stories) as hazard prevention (Hikuroa, 2020). Despite Hikuroa's work to establish the reliability of Taniwha in the public zeitgeist, there is still a consistent divergence in what is considered "real", and whether conceptualising Taniwha in this way is appropriate (Kingsbury, 2022). Although there are clear tensions through co-management, bicultural values discourse, and Te Mana o Te Wai, these are ultimately the tools we have to give effect to iwi and hapuu values.…”

Section: Legislation and Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Building a Monitoring Toolkit to Give Effect to Ngaa Rauru Freshwater Values

Druskovich

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<p><strong>Freshwater management systems in Aotearoa New Zealand have failed on at least two fronts: (i) to maintain the health of the county’s waterways and (ii) to recognise the mana motuhake and rangatiratanga of Maaori hapuu and iwi. For Ngaa Rauru Kiitahi, the southernmost Taranaki iwi, both failings are evident in their recent experience. Historically popular swimming spots in their network of freshwater streams are no longer safe to make physical contact with, and freshwater mahinga kai resources dwindle in the degraded systems. Several well-documented examples exist of how the freshwater management and decision-making system is unable to recognise Ngaa Rauru voices and values, let alone give effect to them. In response to recent policy shift across Aotearoa, Te Kaahui o Rauru, the post-settlement governance entity for Ngaa Rauru, have secured funding to implement Te Wai Koiora, a programme that seeks to build the capability and capacity of uri (tribal members), hapuu (sub-tribal groups) and iwi (the tribe) to take a leading role in freshwater management across their rohe (territory). A key part of the programme is the development of a freshwater monitoring toolkit of appropriate monitoring tools that can give effect to the full complex of Ngaa Rauru freshwater values. This thesis forms an initial step in that development process. Here, I use an established environmental values framework to structure a textual analysis of Ngaa Rauru values articulations in hapuu and iwi Cultural Impact Assessments and policy instruments against established kaupapa Maaori freshwater assessment tools. By aligning the analysis across the two document sets, I provide an exploration of a more quantitative approach to assess exactly which tools (or components of tools) give effect to different freshwater values. My analysis shows that in many ways Ngaa Rauru freshwater values are divergent from Eurocentric freshwater values embedded in established environmental values frameworks. For example, concepts like Whakapapa bring a relational and intergenerational element to freshwater values that are not evident in established frameworks. Textual analysis of the kaupapa Maaori freshwater assessment tools shows that existing tools can indeed give effect to many Ngaa Rauru freshwater values, but with clear room for further and more targeted development. Even though all values may not result in a quantitative metric at the end of the assessment process, the collaborative and community-based approach that the assessment tools take ensures that values like Tikanga (cultural protocol) and Whanaungatanga (familial relationships) are given effect to in the process. For those Ngaa Rauru freshwater values that are more difficult to give effect to with existing monitoring tools, I point to the potential of reflexive kaupapa Maaori assessment tools developed by Maaori scholars in education for guidance on making advancements on kaupapa Maaori freshwater monitoring tools.</strong></p>

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Taniwha, taonga, and tangata

Watene

2023

AJPH

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This comment draws on Paul Tapsell’s work on taonga to help make explicit some of what I take to be working behind Dan Hikuroa’s writings on taniwha and thus Justine Kingsbury’s Taniwha project. I detail some of the insights that a more detailed and complex account of taniwha—one that is framed around taniwha and taonga relationships—can provide. I contend that understanding taniwha in relation to taonga helps to highlight the way that Kingsbury’s account necessarily lacks elements essential to taniwha themselves and essential to their relationships with taonga. On the back of this contention, one conclusion we come to is that Kingsbury merely offers us a way of taking some aspects of taniwha seriously. Another, and perhaps more important conclusion, is that our discussion of taniwha and taonga provides us with a way to recast Kingsbury’s project—allowing us to take as our focus (and thereby value) relationships between taniwha, taonga, and tangata. One upshot is a framework for thinking about what is required to enable deeper and harder conversations later on that are framed in relational terms too. This, I argue, might not only be a more fruitful approach, but one more in line with Kingsbury’s aspirations.

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Taking taniwha seriously

Cited by 4 publications

References 12 publications

Taking Taniwha seriously: a neutral realist interpretation of Kingsbury’s approach

Taking Taniwha seriously: a neutral realist interpretation of Kingsbury’s approach

Building a Monitoring Toolkit to Give Effect to Ngaa Rauru Freshwater Values

Taniwha, taonga, and tangata

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