Indigenous Knowledge / Mātauranga Māori
"A leai se gagana, ua leai se aganu'u. A leai se aganu'u, ona po lea o le nu'u - When you lose your language, you lose your culture. When there is no longer culture, darkness descends on the village" (Le Tagalo)
Our Indigenous knowledges, practices in Aotearoa.
Mātauranga Māori is an indigenous knowledge tradition and body of knowledge unique to Māori. It is holistic and sits within a worldview that is connected to the world and everything within it.
Mātauranga Māori originates from the ancestors and is passed down from generation to generation. It is based on Māori cultural values, tikanga and practices and has a dynamic creative potential.
The people of Aotearoa New Zealand share cultural, linguistic and indigenous knowledge links with the people of the Pacific including common voyaging ancestry traditions.
Indigenous knowledges and practises are not limited to Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific and are common to people and cultures across the world.
Our Approach
We want to protect and celebrate Aotearoa New Zealand’s taonga past, present and future by connecting our unique indigenous culture, natural heritage and communities within Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally.
By valuing and sharing this knowledge, we support cultural and linguistic revitalisation, strengthen connections between communities, and enrich our collective response to local and global challenges.
UNESCOs Approach
UNESCO recognises the right of Indigenous peoples to practice, preserve, revitalise and promote their language.
UNESCO recognises Indigenous knowledge as vital for addressing global challenges, protecting biodiversity, and enhancing cultural understanding.
The UN Decade of Indigenous Languages
The UN Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022 to 2031) recognises the importance of preserving, revitalizing and promoting languages, and linguistic diversity in sustainable development.
UNESCO is responsible for the global action plan which will be implemented during the Decade of Indigenous Languages.
Our work during the UN Decade of Indigenous Languages will focus on:
- Building the mahi with Te Taura Whiri as the key agency leading New Zealand’s contribution for the Decade.
- Supporting national initiatives that align with the Decade’s goals and enable New Zealanders to participate in and contribute to Decade-related events, both locally and globally.
Embracing the Decade
Hear from our UNESCO Aotearoa Youth Leaders and our former Social Sciences Commissioner Professor Tagaloatele Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop about why the Decade is so important to them, and why we should all embrace and promote the Decade.
