A way of life

Wai 262 as a claim is older than Justice-Te Amorangi by 10 years, the claim precedes her life.  However, one could say she was born into the claim as the mauri and the pūtake of the claim is something she lives by and one she aspires that we can all live by. 

Justice-Te Amorangi has been raised by her Pāpā, Taua and whānau in our world and with the lens of mātauranga tuku iho.  She credits this giving her the ability to think critically about the world we live in, because she knows and lives another way.  She sees the opportunity, the oranga that comes from our tikanga and that comes from the responsibilities that we have for each other, our whenua and our whakapapa.

Wai 262 as a doorway

She says, “Wai 262 is the doorway for us to live the pūtake and the mauri of the claim.  It is our opportunity to re-indigenise ourselves, to return back to who we are by practising our mātauranga tuku iho, by protecting our taonga and mokopuna, and by honouring our tupuna.”

On the other hand, she sees it as a way of holding the crown accountable for taking away our ability to do that over the last 200 years.  She sees that is why this ‘take’ was taken to the Tribunal, as a means to achieve that. 

Justice shares her hope, “that Wai 262 will uplift us to practice our mātaurnaga tuku iho and lead us towards the decolonisation of the system. That looks like the removal of the laws, the policies, and the legal mechanisms that have restrained us from practising our mātauranga tuku iho.  That is where I see the claim taking us.”

Whanaungatanga for the advancement



As a mokopuna of the Wai 262 claim, it is whanaungatanga that Justice-Te Amorangi feels is critical for the advancement of the claim for our moko.  Taking it into the future, our relationship with Te Aho Matua is really important. 

She says, “Te Aho Matua are the tohunga, the knowledge holders of Wai 262. They are the knowledge holders of mātauranga tuku iho, who are connected to the mauri of our taonga, who are connected to te ao wairua.”

“Te Aho Matua was formed to re-establish our tikanga structures, where the tohunga and the rangatira sit side by side to be able to navigate our relationships with the Crown. Te Aho Matua will continue to evolve and grow as each iwi have their own tohunga and rangatira who guide them.”

Justice-Te Amorangi shares that as a collective the onus is on us all to advance the intentions of our tohunga, as she says, they are deeply connected to the mauri of this claim. As a mokopuna of the claim, Justice-Te Amorangi believes that the relationship between Te Aho Matua and the next generation is critical as it will ensure Wai 262 is carried into the future with the cultural and spiritual integrity of our Tohunga.