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
- More information link
- Teaching staff
- 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%)