A friend has brought to my attention a recent article, written from a radical Maori perspective, on the legal force of tikanga and the court case on which it is based.  Since I have written a book on tikanga, he suggested that I prepare a response.

by John Robinson

Pre-1840 the rules of tikanga could be brutal in respect of inter-tribal wars and their consequences - especially for the ordinary natives who often lived in fear. Happily everyday life for Maoris has been transformed. The practice of tikanga has changed, taking on many aspects of Western culture. There are many and varied descriptions of just what tikanga is now. This uncertain tikanga is being re-introduced into our way of life and written into law, setting rules to determine the behaviour not just of part-Maoris but of all New Zealanders.