What Kaupapa Maori really means
much of the damage the free market has caused our communities and wider society. Instead of the ‘me first, me first’, mantra of the market, the communal values of Kaupapa Ma¯ori calls for a holistic view of the individual and their place within the group.
Kaupapa Maori is a way to value each and every person in New Zealand while ensuring the basic question of their welfare is central to any decision making process. The way our welfare state has been eroded into a stick with which to beat the poor is the best example of where Kaupapa Ma¯ori could best be applied.
Look at how WINZ are currently attempting to solve the homelessness crisis, people are being just dropped off at motels where their complex problems find no help or any solution. When Te Puea Marae, opened its doors last year to the homeless, Kaupapa Maori dictated their process. It wasn’t enough to find them shelter and food for a couple of weeks. They spoke to the families, found out what the issues were and sought solutions to help them access the social services needed. Simply finding people shelter, food and clothing are the bare necessities of life. Kaupapa Maori demands more than just that, it demands communication and dialogue to identify the true needs of the individual so that they can feel like they have something to offer the whole.
Sadly a Kaupapa Maori approach is missing from a section of Maori leadership, some elitist Iwi leaders have sold out their communal values and adopted a corporate approach when dealing with Iwi members. Holistic and communal values not corporate materialistic values are the essence of Kaupapa Maori and this is missing in too many tribes’ business strategies. But Kaupapa Maori goes beyond just Maori. It’s a philosophical approach that respects the individual without ignoring the family bonds that strengthen that individual.
For me Kaupapa Maori is the new Kiwi socialism with a focus on everyone benefiting from moving forward, not just the some and the few.