in today's world
Women being kept away from a building site in Hamilton is one of the latest examples of traditional Māori tapu raising questions in a modern context from those who don’t understand it.
Read this story in te reo Māori and English here. / Pānuitia tēnei i te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā ki konei.
“Sacred or restricted” is a simple te reo Pākehā definition of tapu and contrasts with noa (free of tapu, ordinary, unrestricted).
A member of the public queried why a fence around Enderley land earmarked for a new Te Kōhao Health centre had signs saying “Sacred Area” and “No women allowed”. There were none of the latter when a Stuff reporter visited, just the former.
Link to video and article: The tricky complexities of Māori tapu in today's world | Stuff.co.nz
