Matauranga Maori
Carving in the Pearce building
Māori arrived here from Polynesia, and the Polynesian way of life evolved into a distinct Māori culture that is inextricable linked with the environment, an integral part of life, customs and values. For more than 800 years, traditional knowledge (mātauranga Māori) has been handed down from ancestors (tupuna, tipuna), rangatira, kaumātua, kuia, tohunga, and knowledgeable people. Mātauranga Māori, as with other indigenous peoples’ knowledge systems, has an important role in contemporary resource management.