Māori and conservation

It is the policy of the New Zealand Green Party to return wai tapu to the iwi, as some are currently under control of the Conservation Estate.

Another important aspect of the Maori's relationship with nature was the concept of tapu, a dangerous energy that had to be properly nullified through ritual.

Compounded with this, Maori of the older generation are culturally disinclined to sell their shares to developers, making cutting firewood or cultivating small gardens the primary economic activity on these lands.

[4] Maori blame European prohibition laws, many of which were implemented during the colonial era, for usurping the mana and contributing to the declining biodiversity of New Zealand.

[4] In particular, Maori pointed to the continuing decline of the New Zealand Pigeon in spite of prohibitions on hunting, claiming Tane was removing them as they were no longer being used by the people.

A team of researchers studied Maori traditional ecological knowledge of the tuatara, a reptile native to New Zealand through oral questioning of elders.

In the paper, Ramstad concludes, "Our current understanding of Maori attitudes toward tuatara needs revising to accommodate this heterogeneity in traditional ecological knowledge.

[1] Whanganui River was recognized as having the same legal status as a person by the government of New Zealand in 2017, ending the country's longest running litigation, which had begun 160 years ago.

[8] Regarding this status, the lead negotiator for the Whanganui Tribe, Gerrard Albert, stated “The reason we have taken this approach is because we consider the river an ancestor and always have... We can trace our genealogy to the origins of the universe, and therefore rather than us being masters of the natural world, we are part of it.

A Maori MP, Adtian Rurawhe, stated that, "From a Whanganui viewpoint the wellbeing of the river is directly linked to the well-being of the people," referring to the mana of the tangata whenua.

The Minister for treaty negotiations, Andrew Little, said of the decision, "Today’s agreements are a major milestone in acknowledging the grievances and hurt from the past as the Taranaki iwi experienced some of the worst examples of Crown behaviour in the 19th century".

Part of what is now Tongariro National Park was given to The Crown by the Maori chief Te Heuheu Tukino IV to ensure its protection.

The Haka Kererū was a ceremonial dance that "served to make the connection between the environment and the people, and points to the fundamental platform of life and existence—Papatūānuku (Mother Earth)".