Protecting, enhancing & promoting the intellectual, cultural and biological heritage of Maori : te kopere

Abstract

For many, the term colonisation conjures up images of Captain Cook, the S.S Endeavour and the arrival of European settlers to the shores of Aotearoa/New Zealand. However, many people perceive that this is where colonisation stopped. This thesis postulates that colonisation has not stopped, but it continues to manifest itself in different ways and is often disguised by complex legal and economic tools. The complex legal and economic tools this thesis discusses are the Biodiversity Convention, intellectual property rights and the GATT: TRIPs. These tools are analysed from a Maori truth, from within a Maori theoretical framework. They are analysed in terms of how they impact on the full expression of mana and kaitiakitanga by Maori. The potential impacts of these modern day colonial tools may be even more devastating than before, as they threaten the heart of indigenous peoples, their heritage, their kaitiakitanga their mana.