Top CA Library picks on Māori language and culture
Covering topics from te reo basics to Māori values, these five titles can help deepen your understanding of te ao Māori.
In brief
- The 2023 New Zealand Census revealed that more than 200,000 people (4.28%) can hold a conversation in te reo Māori.
- Embracing Māori language and culture demonstrates respect for Te Tiriti, the Treaty of Waitangi, and builds stronger connections with communities, customers and employees.
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The CA Library offers a range of ebooks, audiobooks and articles to help CAs increase their understanding of Māori culture and language.
An intrinsic part of New Zealand’s identity, Māori language, culture and history not only offers Indigenous perspectives on our community, the environment and leadership, but also presents unique and holistic solutions to the many issues we are facing today.
Embracing te reo in your business demonstrates respect for Aotearoa’s bicultural foundation and a commitment to an inclusive workplace. It helps preserve this precious language and normalise its everyday use.
Integrating te reo is not just good ethics – it’s good business.
To help CAs increase their understanding of Māori culture and language, here are five ebooks and audiobooks available to members from the CA Library.
1. Te Kōparapara: An Introduction to the Māori World
By Michael Reilly (Auckland University Press, 2018), ebook
Michael Reilly, a professor in Te Tumu: School of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous Studies at the University of Otago, provides an introduction to Māori culture, with input from a range of leading scholars. They delve into topics including marae protocol and key rituals such as pōwhiri and tangihanga, and Māori history, from the Earth’s creation to urbanisation. They also examine Māori society today, covering topics such as education, health, politics and identity. A comprehensive examination of the Māori world, this ebook includes images, maps, songs and sayings.
2. Tikanga: An Introduction to Te Ao Māori
By Keri Opai (Upstart Press, 2023), ebook
Keri Opai offers a unique explanation of the world of Māoridom for non-Māori, dispelling myths and misconceptions and providing a view of our tangata whenua that people from other cultures can understand and take pride in. A short but valuable introduction to the Māori world from a 21st century perspective.
3. Becoming Tangata Tiriti: Working With Māori, Honouring the Treaty
By Avril Bell (Auckland University Press, 2024), ebook
How do you identify in relation to Māori? What are our responsibilities to Te Tiriti o Waitangi? Avril Bell brings together 12 non-Māori voices who have engaged with te ao Māori and attempted to bring Te Tiriti to life in their work. She offers stories of missteps, victories and journeys through the complexities of cross-cultural relationships.
4. Te Reo Māori: The Basics Explained
By David Kārena-Holmes (Oratia, 2020), ebook and audiobook. Run time: 4 hrs, 8 mins
Drawing on decades of teaching and writing about Māori language, David Kārena-Holmes presents the building blocks of grammar in te reo and explains how to create phrases, sentences and paragraphs. He discusses pronunciation and main base words and offers real-life examples of how Māori grammar works day-to-day.
5. Tikanga Māori: Living By Māori Values
By Hirini Moko Mead (Huia Publishers, 2016), ebook
This is an authoritative and accessible introduction to Māori culture, including marae protocols, Māori relationship with nature, identity with the land, peace agreements and underlying principles and values. In this wide-ranging book, Mead explores a range of topics, from the creative arts to approaches to societal problems and how tikanga Māori may help us solve bioethical problems raised by technology.
Read more CA ANZ recommendations and stories:
CA ANZ suggested reading list – Treaty of Waitangi
CA Library
All CA Library resources and services are complimentary to members. Access these ebooks, audiobooks and more by visiting: CA Library’s Māori business and culture reading list.
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