Taonga or taoka (in South Island Māori) is a Māori-language word that refers to a treasured possession in Māori culture. It lacks a direct translation into English, making its use in the Treaty of Waitangi significant. The current definition differs from the historical one, noted by Hongi Hika as "property procured by the spear" [one could understand this as war booty or defended property] and is now interpreted to mean a wide range of both tangible and intangible possessions, especially items of historical cultural significance.
Tangible examples are all sorts of heirlooms and artefacts, land, fisheries, natural resources such as geothermal springs[1] and access to natural resources, such as riparian water rights and access to the riparian zone of rivers or streams. Intangible examples may include language and spiritual beliefs. The concept of taonga can also transcend into general New Zealand culture and non-Māori items; for example, the Ranfurly Shield is recognised as a taonga amongst the New Zealand rugby community.[2][3]
Traditionally taonga represent the tangible and intangible links between Māori people and their ancestors and land. Taonga serve to reaffirm these genealogical connections to people and place known as whakapapa. Taonga serve as genealogical reference markers that help connect the living with their past. The intangible elements of taonga, such as the stories and genealogy that accompany them, are just as important as the object itself.[4] Mina McKenzie described maintaining the connections between tangible objects, intangible properties, place and descendants as 'keeping the taonga warm.'[5]
What is deemed to be a taonga has major political, economic and social consequences in New Zealand and has been the subject of fierce debates as the varying definitions and interpretations have implications for policies regarding such things as intellectual property,[6][7] genetic engineering[8] and allocation of radio frequency spectrum.