''Tangata Tiriti'' (or ''tangata tiriti'') is a Māori-language phrase used in English, particularly in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It generally means a non-

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

in New Zealand, or 'people of the Treaty', in reference to

Te Tiriti o Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

Etymology

In the Māori language it means ‘people of the treaty’. Tangata is a human or individual. Not capitalised 'tiriti' refers to a treaty, and capitalised Tiriti, refers to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the treaty written in Māori language and signed in 1840 by representatives of the British Crown and representatives of Māori, the

Indigenous peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

of New Zealand. First coined by Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie, the chair of the

Waitangi Tribunal The Waitangi Tribunal (Māori: ''Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi'') is a New Zealand permanent commission of inquiry established under the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975. It is charged with investigating and making recommendations on c ...

, at Waitangi in 1989. He referred to Tangata Tiriti as those who belong to Aotearoa New Zealand by right of te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi.

Meaning and use

''The Oxford Dictionary of New Zealandisms'' published in 2014 defines tangata Tiriti as, "non-indigenous New Zealanders, in Treaty of Waitangi partnership with Māori as

tangata whenua In New Zealand, tangata whenua () is a Māori term that translates to "people of the land". It can refer to either a specific group of people with historical claims to a district, or more broadly the Māori people who's common ancestors are bur ...

." Sociologist Avril Bell states that the reference of non-Maōri as tangata Tiriti is to acknowledge that Te Tiriti o Waitangi is not just about Māori, but also about non-Māori. Non-Māori are many ethnicities and heritages in New Zealand, and are also named tauiwi (Maori language word meaning foreigner, non-Maori). There is a growing body of discourse about the term tangata Tiriti being not a passive identity, but active. Scholar Lincoln Dam describes the term as, "a relational orientation that invokes ethical-political responsibilities. These responsibilities include seeking to understand settler identities, building productive relationships with Māori, engaging with critical histories of Aotearoa-New Zealand, and supporting Māori struggles for justice."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tangata Tiriti Māori words and phrases Ethno-cultural designations