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Kupu Whakataki
Ko te kaupapa rangahau ki roto i ngä häpori ki te taha i
ngä kuia me ngä koroheke e kitea ai te ähua o te tikanga
Mäori tahito hängai ki ënei pätai nö hea koe, tö wähi
noho, äu whakahaere, te pupuru tahi i te whenua. E kitea
ana he taumata körero ënei tikanga hei whakaringaringa
i te mau ki ngä tikanga onamata hängai pü ki te momo
mätauranga o tënei ao hurihuri. Ko tënei kupu ahikä he
körero hira rawa, hängai ki ngä tühono whakapapa, me
te whakaara ake i te hononga ä-noho, pupuru i te whenua,
me te whakamahi i taua whenua. Ahakoa käre koinei
te tino take o tënei tuhinga, ëngari nä ngä whakahaere
ka tirohia te tautühono o tënei kupu ahikä ki te hunga
ka whakaeke mai ki tënei rangahau. Ka rangahau, ka
whakakaotia mai te ähua o te ahikä e ahu mai ana i ngä
momo tuhi whakataratara, me te hunga i tipu mai i roto i
taua ähuatanga, i tipu mai i te papa tipu whenua. Whäia,
ka aro mai ngä hua o tënei rangahau i ngä kuia i ngä
koroheke i tipu i roto i ënei momo ähuatanga o tä te hapü,
häpori ränei. I kitea ki roto i tënei rangahau ahakoa i roto
i ngä tau kua ähua rerekë te tikanga o te ahikä, ahakoa
anö tënei kei te kitea i ënei rä kei te rite tonu tä te Mäori
titiro, whakaaro ki tënei kupu hira rawa te ahikä.

Abstract
Research in a rural Mäori community with kuia and
koroheke (elder females and males respectively) has
revealed that an ancient Mäori custom associated with
belonging to, occupying, utilising and defending the land,
is perceived as a relevant tool for decision-making in the
acquisition of both customary and contemporary Mäori
knowledge. Ahikä (the burning home fires) refers to
specific whakapapa (genealogical) connections, and active
participation in aspects of residency, land ownership and
utilisation. While not the major focus of the research,
ahikä emerged as a discussion point in the determination
of participants, and also during interviews with those
participants. Traditional and contemporary views of
ahikä will be presented based on the literature, and the
lived experiences of participants that were raised on the
ancestral landscape. Furthermore, kuia and koroheke
understandings of ahikä were contingent on a range of
factors that impact on those people that maintain the
cultural estate of this hapü (sub-tribe) community. It was
found that although the notion of ahikä has altered slightly through the passage of time, the underlying principles
remain intact, and are both implicitly and explicitly
inherent in contemporary Mäori thinking.