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Overview

An introduction to tikanga Māori as a system of spiritual and legal regulation.

This paper introduces students to the function of tikanga Māori as a system of both spiritual and legal regulation, exploring how legal norms and practices within tikanga are deeply shaped by spiritual dimensions. It examines the insights of key Māori thinkers, including Māori Christian voices, on what it means to be bound by te wāhi ngaro and how concepts such as tapu and noa shifted with the advent of colonial Christianity, alongside Māori theological responses to these changes. The course also investigates how the general legal system incorporates its own forms of spiritual regulation and the tensions this creates with Māori understandings, using examples such as the Tohunga Suppression Act, criminal regulation, and the development of welfare law to illustrate a vision of spiritual regulation that stands in contrast to that of tikanga Māori.

About this paper

Paper title Special Topic: Tikanga Māori, Spiritual Regulation, and the New Zealand state
Subject Christian Thought and History
EFTS 0.15
Points 18 points
Teaching period(s) Semester 2 (Distance learning)
Semester 2 (On campus)
Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) $1,103.10
International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
Prerequisite
One 100-level CHTH paper
Restriction
CHTH 335
Schedule C
Arts and Music, Theology
Contact

Professor Murray Rae

Teaching staff

Māmari Stephens

Paper Structure

To be advised

Teaching Arrangements

The paper will be taught on campus by means of four teaching days in weeks 1, 4, 7 and 9 throughout the semester. The Distance class will be taught through a series of seven fortnightly videoconferences.

Textbooks

There are no compulsory textbooks for the paper.

Course outline

To be advised

Graduate Attributes Emphasised

Interdisciplinary perspective, Scholarship, Cultural understanding, Critical Thinking
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.

Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete the paper will:

  • Demonstrate understanding of basic elements of tikanga Māori, and how spiritual regulation is key to that system.
  • Develop an understanding of the insights of key Māori thinkers on the nature of spiritual regulation and te wāhi ngaro.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the connection between the spiritual and the human realms and how tapu and noa (in particular) shift and change with the advent of colonial Christianity.
  • Summarise and compare Māori theological responses and explanations of the changes noted in outcome 3.
Assessment details

  • Scenario Analysis (20%)
  • Reflective Journal (25%)
  • Research Essay (55%)

Overview

An introduction to tikanga Māori as a system of spiritual and legal regulation.

This paper introduces students to the function of tikanga Māori as a system of both spiritual and legal regulation, exploring how legal norms and practices within tikanga are deeply shaped by spiritual dimensions. It examines the insights of key Māori thinkers, including Māori Christian voices, on what it means to be bound by te wāhi ngaro and how concepts such as tapu and noa shifted with the advent of colonial Christianity, alongside Māori theological responses to these changes.

The course also investigates how the general legal system incorporates its own forms of spiritual regulation and the tensions this creates with Māori understandings, using examples such as the Tohunga Suppression Act, criminal regulation and the development of welfare law to illustrate a vision of spiritual regulation that stands in contrast to that of tikanga Māori.

About this paper

Paper title Special Topic: Tikanga Māori, Spiritual Regulation, and the New Zealand state
Subject Christian Thought and History
EFTS 0.15
Points 18 points
Teaching period Not offered in 2027 (Distance learning)
Domestic Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for 2027 have not yet been set
International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
Prerequisite
One 100-level CHTH paper
Restriction
CHTH 335
Schedule C
Arts and Music, Theology
Contact

Professor Murray Rae

Teaching staff

Māmari Stephens

Paper Structure

To be advised.

Teaching Arrangements

The paper will be taught on campus by means of four teaching days in weeks 1, 4, 7 and 9 throughout the semester. The Distance class will be taught through a series of seven fortnightly videoconferences.

Textbooks

There are no compulsory textbooks for the paper.

Course outline

To be advised.

Graduate Attributes Emphasised

Interdisciplinary perspective, Scholarship, Cultural understanding, Critical Thinking
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.

Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete the paper will:

  • Demonstrate understanding of basic elements of tikanga Māori, and how spiritual regulation is key to that system.
  • Develop an understanding of the insights of key Māori thinkers on the nature of spiritual regulation and te wāhi ngaro.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the connection between the spiritual and the human realms and how tapu and noa (in particular) shift and change with the advent of colonial Christianity.
  • Summarise and compare Māori theological responses and explanations of the changes noted in outcome 3.
Assessment details

  • Scenario Analysis (20%)
  • Reflective Journal (25%)
  • Research Essay (55%)

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