Indigenous methods of tackling ecological problems were developed by dint of necessity - there is no better impetus for success

When I was taught how to trap possums, I was encouraged to combine the traditional knowledge of my Māori ancestors with modern technologies. An example of this is when the kawakawa plant bears fruit – the best lure to use is cinnamon. This is because the scents complement each other in the forest, to which the possums become attracted.

I assumed this was also the case when taught to use curry powder as a lure for when the hangehange flowers blossom. Instead, it was because wasps were very active at the time and I learned curry powder is one of the few lures to which wasps are not attracted; and no one wants to fiddle with traps covered in wasps!

Recognising Matariki signals official recognition and respect for Māori customs, and a wider buy-in from New Zealanders

When the small Matariki cluster of stars becomes visible over New Zealand’s early Winter morning skies, the country’s indigenous Māori people mark the beginning of their New Year.

The prospect of making Matariki a public holiday sends a well overdue sign of respect to Māori traditions and knowledge and paves the way for greater understanding of our nation’s unique, shared identity.

Waitangi 2020 is the year for us to prepare for a national discussion on power in Aotearoa, and rights for Māori on Māori land

This week, to mark Waitangi Day, the Guardian is publishing five pieces of commentary from Māori writers.

For many in Aotearoa, Waitangi Day is still a warm mid-summer holiday. A day to relax with friends, or perhaps to celebrate our nationhood.

Ever more non-Māori are doing the haka – but shouldn’t be unless its integrity is preserved

I wonder if any of the French lawyers protesting their government’s pension reform with a haka, the Māori dance form, have ever set foot in New Zealand?

For a good number of white people, including white New Zealanders, haka is apparently irresistible. “Ka Mate”, the Ngāti Toa haka the All Blacks perform pre-match, delights global audiences every year. Contemporary teams take it dead seriously, but in the late-19th and early-20th century the mostly white team would turn to the British crowds, slapping their thighs and hanging their tongues out for “entertainment”.

Only in its absence do I miss the Māori party, which achieved huge amounts despite a system stacked against it

New Zealand is probably the only country in the Anglosphere where the Indigenous people make up a disproportionate share of the parliament. Māori make up only 16% of the country’s population, but make up 23% of our representatives, holding 27 seats in the 120-seat House. Māori lead every single parliamentary party as well, bar Jacinda Ardern’s Labour.

You might struggle to find a country where a minority exerts more governing power, and demographic defiance, than Māori in New Zealand.