John Robertson writes > Dear ACT Party,
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to defending individual rights, democracy, and a secular state.
I am writing to express concern about the increasing incorporation of Māori spiritual and cultural concepts—such as tikanga, wairua, mauri, and mana whenua—into New Zealand’s legal system. While cultural respect is important, embedding subjective spiritual beliefs into law is fundamentally incompatible with a secular, equal system that applies the same rules to all citizens, regardless of ancestry or belief.
Below is a list of 35 current laws that officially reference Māori spiritual or cultural concepts. This list includes the specific terms used and the legal context in which they are applied.
I hope this will assist you in your efforts to bring transparency to the extent of this issue and to advocate for a legal framework that is based on equal treatment under the law.
Sincerely,
John Robertson
Here’s a list of 35 New Zealand laws that officially reference Māori spirituality, customs, and worldviews — using terms like tikanga, mana whenua, mauri, wairua, and more. (Full List With Context)
These terms often introduce subjective cultural or spiritual ideas into law, which is inconsistent with a secular legal system where all citizens should be treated equally, regardless of belief.
1. Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA)
Terms: Te Mana o te Wai, kaitiakitanga, mauri, wairua, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Gives legal status to Māori spiritual values when assessing environmental impacts and resource consent.
2. Water Services Act 2021
Terms: Te Mana o te Wai, kaitiakitanga
Context: Water regulation must consider Māori spiritual views on water’s life force and guardianship.
3. Local Government Act 2002
Terms: tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Requires councils to involve Māori in decision-making and give weight to their cultural practices.
4. Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993
Terms: whakapapa, mana whenua, tikanga Māori
Context: Manages Māori land using Māori customs and family genealogy.
5. Conservation Act 1987
Terms: kaitiakitanga, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Māori beliefs must be considered in conservation efforts and land access.
6. Fisheries Act 1996
Terms: kaitiakitanga, mana whenua, tikanga Māori
Context: Gives customary fishing rights based on spiritual and cultural connection to the sea.
Terms: kaitiakitanga, mana whenua, tikanga Māori
Context: Gives customary fishing rights based on spiritual and cultural connection to the sea.
7. Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011
Terms: mana tuku iho, tikanga, customary marine title
Context: Recognizes inherited spiritual authority over parts of the coastline.
8. Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998
Terms: taonga species, mahinga kai
Context: Gives spiritual and cultural recognition to species and traditional food gathering.
9. Waitangi Tribunal Act 1975
Terms: tikanga Māori, Treaty principles
Context: Empowers Māori customs and grievances to be judged by Māori cultural norms.
Terms: tikanga Māori, Treaty principles
Context: Empowers Māori customs and grievances to be judged by Māori cultural norms.
10. Environment Canterbury Act 2016
Terms: mana whenua representation
Context: Mandates tribal representation in regional governance based on ancestral authority.
Terms: mana whenua representation
Context: Mandates tribal representation in regional governance based on ancestral authority.
11. Oranga Tamariki Act 1989
Terms: whakapapa, mana tamaiti, tikanga Māori
Context: Māori child welfare decisions must respect spiritual ancestry and cultural norms.
Terms: whakapapa, mana tamaiti, tikanga Māori
Context: Māori child welfare decisions must respect spiritual ancestry and cultural norms.
12. Education and Training Act 2020
Terms: tikanga Māori, Treaty principles, mana whenua
Context: Embeds Māori values and customs into the public education system.
Terms: tikanga Māori, Treaty principles, mana whenua
Context: Embeds Māori values and customs into the public education system.
13. Climate Change Response Act 2002
Terms: tikanga Māori, kaitiakitanga, Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Context: Climate planning must consider Māori spiritual guardianship of nature.
Terms: tikanga Māori, kaitiakitanga, Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Context: Climate planning must consider Māori spiritual guardianship of nature.
14. Crown Minerals Act 1991
Terms: tikanga Māori, mana whenua, Treaty principles
Context: Requires consultation with Māori based on cultural and spiritual claims to land and minerals.
Terms: tikanga Māori, mana whenua, Treaty principles
Context: Requires consultation with Māori based on cultural and spiritual claims to land and minerals.
15. Biosecurity Act 1993
Terms: tikanga Māori, mana whenua, Treaty of Waitangi
Context: Disease and pest control policy must consider Māori views on spiritual and land connections.
Terms: tikanga Māori, mana whenua, Treaty of Waitangi
Context: Disease and pest control policy must consider Māori views on spiritual and land connections.
16. Public Health and Disability Act 2000
Terms: tikanga Māori, mana motuhake, Treaty of Waitangi
Context: Health services are required to reflect Māori beliefs and autonomy.
Terms: tikanga Māori, mana motuhake, Treaty of Waitangi
Context: Health services are required to reflect Māori beliefs and autonomy.
17. Wildlife Act 1953
Terms: customary rights, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Spiritual and cultural practices are recognized in hunting and wildlife protections.
Terms: customary rights, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Spiritual and cultural practices are recognized in hunting and wildlife protections.
18. Forests Act 1949
Terms: tikanga Māori, Treaty of Waitangi
Context: Forest use and protection must consider Māori customs and Treaty rights.
Terms: tikanga Māori, Treaty of Waitangi
Context: Forest use and protection must consider Māori customs and Treaty rights.
19. Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014
Terms: wāhi tapu, wāhi tūpuna, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Sacred and ancestral Māori sites are protected by law.
Terms: wāhi tapu, wāhi tūpuna, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Sacred and ancestral Māori sites are protected by law.
20. Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022
Terms: tikanga Māori, Māori Health Authority, Treaty of Waitangi
Context: Establishes a parallel Māori health system based on cultural values.
Terms: tikanga Māori, Māori Health Authority, Treaty of Waitangi
Context: Establishes a parallel Māori health system based on cultural values.
21. Kainga Ora–Homes and Communities Act 2019
Terms: tikanga Māori, mana whenua, Treaty obligations
Context: Housing projects must align with Māori cultural values and Treaty-based consultation.
Terms: tikanga Māori, mana whenua, Treaty obligations
Context: Housing projects must align with Māori cultural values and Treaty-based consultation.
22. Land Transport Management Act 2003
Terms: mana whenua, Treaty principles
Context: Māori cultural considerations must be included in transport planning.
Terms: mana whenua, Treaty principles
Context: Māori cultural considerations must be included in transport planning.
23. Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Act 2000
Terms: kaitiakitanga, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Spiritual guardianship and cultural relationships must be respected in marine planning.
Terms: kaitiakitanga, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Spiritual guardianship and cultural relationships must be respected in marine planning.
24. Walking Access Act 2008
Terms: tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Access to land and tracks must consider Māori spiritual and cultural significance.
Terms: tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Access to land and tracks must consider Māori spiritual and cultural significance.
25. EEZ and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012
Terms: tikanga Māori, Treaty principles, mana whenua
Context: Deep-sea resource use must consult Māori cultural and spiritual perspectives.
Terms: tikanga Māori, Treaty principles, mana whenua
Context: Deep-sea resource use must consult Māori cultural and spiritual perspectives.
26. National Parks Act 1980
Terms: kaitiakitanga, wāhi tapu, tikanga Māori
Context: Māori spiritual values influence park management and access.
Terms: kaitiakitanga, wāhi tapu, tikanga Māori
Context: Māori spiritual values influence park management and access.
27. Marine Reserves Act 1971
Terms: kaitiakitanga, tikanga Māori
Context: Customary guardianship and Māori beliefs influence reserve designation and rules.
Terms: kaitiakitanga, tikanga Māori
Context: Customary guardianship and Māori beliefs influence reserve designation and rules.
28. Antarctica (Environmental Protection) Act 1994
Terms: tikanga Māori
Context: Even activities in Antarctica must respect Māori spiritual customs.
Terms: tikanga Māori
Context: Even activities in Antarctica must respect Māori spiritual customs.
29. Building Act 2004
Terms: tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Local iwi spiritual and cultural views must be considered in development approvals.
Terms: tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Local iwi spiritual and cultural views must be considered in development approvals.
30. Te Urewera Act 2014
Terms: legal personhood, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Grants a forest legal status as a living ancestor with spiritual significance under Māori belief.
Terms: legal personhood, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Grants a forest legal status as a living ancestor with spiritual significance under Māori belief.
31. Whanganui River Settlement Act 2017 (Te Awa Tupua)
Terms: legal personhood, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Declares the river a living entity with rights, based on Māori cosmology.
Terms: legal personhood, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Declares the river a living entity with rights, based on Māori cosmology.
32. Taranaki Maunga Settlement Act 2023
Terms: legal personhood, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Gives Mount Taranaki the same spiritual and legal status as a living being.
Terms: legal personhood, tikanga Māori, mana whenua
Context: Gives Mount Taranaki the same spiritual and legal status as a living being.
33. Criminal Cases Review Commission Act 2019
Terms: te ao Māori, tikanga Māori
Context: Māori spiritual and cultural views may influence justice processes and reviews.
Terms: te ao Māori, tikanga Māori
Context: Māori spiritual and cultural views may influence justice processes and reviews.
34. Trade Marks Act 2002
Terms: mātauranga Māori, tikanga Māori
Context: Māori traditional knowledge and customs can affect trademark approvals.
Terms: mātauranga Māori, tikanga Māori
Context: Māori traditional knowledge and customs can affect trademark approvals.
35. Patents Act 2013
Terms: mātauranga Māori, tikanga Māori
Context: Patents can be denied or restricted based on spiritual and cultural beliefs.
Source: Facebook
Terms: mātauranga Māori, tikanga Māori
Context: Patents can be denied or restricted based on spiritual and cultural beliefs.
Source: Facebook
19 comments:
Goldsmith and Potaka are on this job - good luck folks!
PS This is actual legislation. There are also numerous reports/frameworks affirming the Te Ao Maori vision- a powerful and authoritative reference to guide action and establish norms.
e.g. Te Rautaki Ao Maori - guidelines for NZ parliamentary
process, Matauranga Maori in the Media .. and many more.
NZers are now enmeshed in a web of embedded " cultural references which decree how to live their lives. Impossible to escape.
New Zealand is no longer a 1st world, English speaking country.
There is a lot of stuff here and I assume it has all gone through some sort of approvals process. Parliament must have been working on this for some time. How is it we are only finding out about it now? Call me a conspiracy theorist, but our own representative Parliament is working behind our backs to implement something they know the majority do not want. In doing so, they are lying by omission. We need more referenda to ensure that We the people are determining the direction of our country.
AGREE. NZers are now trapped in claptrap. Its taken half a century of stupidity to get to this point. What a pity so few study early British history... invasions from AngoSaxons, Jutes, Vikings etc. The lesson there..... UTU/blood feuds had to CEASE before progress was possible. Gettit?
Messrs Luxon and Potaka will make totally sure citizens never get a referendum on a serious issue - such as democracy and equality. Maybe one on " stop/go road signs" which people will be able to read due the new literacy programmes.
REFERENDA needs to become OUR action. Its still in the hands of gummint.
glan011, I'm not sure we should be responsible for administering referenda; that is what we have Parliament for. We need to sort Parliament out so they are working properly and do these things for us. We should reinforce that they are our executive public servants and that they are working for us. That is what we pay them for.
Since January of 2025, with the arrival of D.J Trump into the White House we have been " prevailed upon ", by the NZ MSM (bless them) ' with all the horrid things Trump has been doing'. So what you ask?
Well in a ' deep diving into Politics America, what has surfaced
(and no Simon of TVNZ News at 6 is not going to cover this, unless the dear we man in New York presents such a story) - is that with the uncovering of money being wasted - it also came to light that many US Federal Administrations had been creating and adding to existing Law, appendices that required
" compliance by those who would be required to act upon such Laws and any subsequent appendices, to said Laws".
So what?
Those additional requirements had NOT been ratified by either Congress (who are required to rubber stamp them) or by The Senate who then authorize them.
Investigation showed that " certain persons " within those Federal Administrations had " decided to add complexity to Laws, that were not justified and or required ", without recourse to The Govt and those looking at said actions wondered if the "CEO" of each Federal Domain, had been aware of such actions.
Sadly in America - The Justice System has stepped into ensure that many of The Trump Administration requirements are
" dogged in a Legal quagmire ", we have and will see (on the basis of what the author has presented) - ditto action by our NZ Legal Systems.
So who in NZ, the Govt or our Ministries have done the same thing??
Way to go NZ!
Te Reo Luxon and the Nats will do nothing to stop the maori wave.
Our only hope is ACT. We must vote to ensire that ACT has more seats than National or the country is doomed.
BARRIE DAVIS... indeed, but, parliament is not working for US..we the people. How to get them to work for us is the problem.... I see a new "Peasants Revolt" aka 1381 uK..
I think we are all f..f...f...fff...fluffed ...
This sewerage of racism and apartheid presented from the Government menu needs leadership.
Real leadership as I acknowledge President Trump has and demonstrates easily . We need a Political party that we the public can expect to be spoken to directly as Trump does at his Oval office meetings signing his Executive orders . The information is direct and also explained by a bureaucrat for clarity.
We had Ardern and the pulpit of truth but that was unable to breach the requirement of truth and integrity so is NOT applicable.
When our Parliament has everything sanitised by bureaucracy that forgets they are to uphold the current governments agenda , we get the racist and meaningless garbage as law , that National accepts .
The ACT and NZF coalition agreements have been a vast improvement and they are achieving , however the input from bureaucracy into the National party Bills evades the public understanding and we get this racist hubris.
The coalition partners of this Parliament have to take control and make simple law amendment that works such as NO ethnicity is inserted into any bill that differentiates any person in NZ .
A Simple , Understandable and Workable Bill for us all.
Anonymous at 12:43, are you suggesting that some or all of the above 35 laws are or may be unlawful?
Beats me how all this got past so many mps.Do most assume that other greater minds than theirs have approved therefore there must be no snags? Are modern mps too removed from everyday life to think rationally? Or to know maori ways? Whilst maori presented Alamain Kopu and others to convice no intellect to fear, shrewd strategists have accomplished what must be one of the most artful coups in political history.
glan011, you may be interested to know that the peasants may already be revolting in the UK. Recent polls show that Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, is eight points ahead of the Labour Government led by PM Sir Keir Starmer: Labour are on 22%, the Tories have declined to 21% and Reform has increased to 30%. Pundits are suggesting that traditional party loyalties are breaking down.
Now if we could do the same here ...
glan011, one way to get them to work for us is to make us the sovereign power in New Zealand as they have n the UK. That could be done in the Constitution Act 1986 with something to the effect that We the people vest our sovereign power in the Crown in Parliament.
That would be a win for Parliament because their sovereign power is presently moot because the Constitution Act was not subject to a referendum.
Given we have some leverage, we should conditionally require some further changes to the Act, like removing the employment guarantees for judges.
If we were the sovereign power legally, we could call the shots.
I KNOW.... watch GBNews daily. There is a turnaround happening globally..... but so s l o w .... NZelection 2026 will be most interesting.... Please God, NZF & Act gain the majority, and the others left looking in their mirrors. Might be interesting from now on that Seymour is Deputy... s- hits fan..
Mmm....... 8.30pm. Have just put the phone down from an anonymous online survey.... are the Nats / Labour getting anxious? Refused them info. Slammed phone down.
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