The word kaitiakitanga comes from the Māori word kaitiaki (guardian) and the suffix -tanga (abstract, or the practice/circumstance of something). It describes the concept and practice of guardianship, care, and protection, particularly of the natural world and resources, and refers to the ongoing process of watching over and preserving.
Kai-: A prefix indicating agency, meaning the person or people who perform the action. Tiaki: The verb meaning to care for, guard, protect, conserve, keep, or watch over. -tanga: A suffix that transforms a verb or noun into a noun representing an abstract concept, practice, or state of being. Therefore, kaitiakitanga literally means "the circumstance of watching or guarding" or "the practice of guardianship," embodying the role and responsibility of a kaitiaki (guardian or caretaker).
In a time of climate crisis and ecological collapse, kaitiakitanga — an Indigenous ethic of care rooted in whakapapa (the genealogical ties linking all beings back to a shared origin), reciprocity, and intergenerational responsibility– offers a way forward. More than “guardianship,” it is a living practice that binds people, lands, waters, and skies in mutual obligation. Written together by mana whenua (peoples whose whakapapa binds them to this land as its first guardians, carrying inherited responsibilities to protect its mauri. ) and tangata Tiriti(those peoples who journeyed here under the promise of Te Tiriti, invited into relationship, sharing in the duty of kaitiakitanga alongside mana whenua), this piece weaves origin, practice, challenge, and possibility: from iwi-led restoration projects to the tensions of commodification, tokenism, and extractive economies. We explore how kaitiakitanga, grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori authority, can be honoured in policy, education, and daily life — in Aotearoa and across the pluriverse. At its heart lies a simple truth: “kia tupu, kia hua, kia puaawai te whenua, ka ora te tangata” — when the land is well, the people will flourish.