Tangata tiriti

In the Māori language it means people of the treaty.^[3] Tangata is a human or individual.^[4] Not capitalised 'tiriti' refers to a treaty, and capitalised Tiriti, refers to the Treaty of Waitangi.^[5] First coined by Sir Edward Taihakurei Durie, the chair of the Waitangi Tribunal, at Waitangi in 1989. He referred to Tangata Tiriti as those who belong to New Zealand by right of the Treaty of Waitangi.^[6][7]

The Oxford Dictionary of New Zealandisms published in 2014 defines tangata Tiriti as, "non-indigenous New Zealanders, in Treaty of Waitangi partnership with Māori as tangata whenua."^[3]

Sociologist Avril Bell states that the reference of non-Maōri as tangata Tiriti is to acknowledge that the Treaty of Waitangi is not just about Māori, but also about non-Māori.^[8] Non-Māori are many ethnicities and heritages in New Zealand, and are also named tauiwi (lit. foreigner, non-Maori).^[9][10] There is a growing body of discourse about the term tangata Tiriti being not a passive identity, but active.^[11] Scholar Lincoln Dam describes the term as, "a relational orientation that invokes ethical-political responsibilities. These responsibilities include seeking to understand settler identities, building productive relationships with Māori, engaging with critical histories of Aotearoa-New Zealand, and supporting Māori struggles for justice."^[11]