The NZ Series #15 - Tino Rangatiratanga

This beret was made by the Te Kawariti Group, promoters of the tino rangatiratanga emblem, in 1998.

The most contentious phrase from the Treaty of Waitangi, tino rangatiratanga has become something of a rallying cry for proponents of Māori Independence. A rangatira is a chief, the suffix -tanga implies the quality or attributes of chieftainship, and the addition of intensifier tino in this context means the phrase can be translated as 'absolute/unqualified chieftainship'. Its closest English translation is self-determination, although many also refer to it as 'absolute sovereignty' or Māori independence. Such a concept embraces the spiritual link Māori have with Papatuanuku (Earthmother) and is a part of the international drive by indigenous people for self determination. As such, the Tino Rangatiratanga flag is often referred to as the Māori flag. The flag was designed by Hiraina Marsden, Jan Smith and Linda Munn in 1990.

The tino rangatiratanga movement draws its name from an inconsistency arising between Article One and Article Two of the Treaty of Waitangi.