Whāngai adoption, often referred to simply as whāngai (literally, "to nourish"), is a traditional method of open adoption among the

Māori people Māori () are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand. Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of Māori migration canoes, c ...

of New Zealand. Whāngai is a community process rather than a legal process, and usually involves a child being brought up by a close relative, either because his or her parents have died or because they are unable to look after the child. The adoptive parent is known as a ''matua whāngai'', and the child is called a ''tamaiti whāngai''. The child knows both its birth and whāngai parents, and the local community and extended whānau is usually closely involved in the decision to adopt and in helping with the child's development. Whāngai may be temporary or permanent.Keane, Basil
Whāngai – customary fostering and adoption
" '' Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand'', 5 May 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2020. The whāngai system developed before the development of New Zealand's current legal rules on adoption and fostering and operates parallel with it, but is recognised by New Zealand law. It does not follow the strictures of the Adoption Act of 1955, for example, which supported the idea of a complete break between birth and adoptive families. The whāngai system is still in use in more traditional Māori communities. Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 provided a firmer legal basis for the practice, particularly in regards to inheritance law, and formalised whāngai as tikanga Māori (Māori customary practice). There are still some restrictions within the law regarding the rights of whāngai children which differ from those of legally adopted children. For instance, a child of a whāngai adoption cannot challenge a will under the Family Protection Act. Several well-known Māori have been brought up as ''tamaiti whāngai'', among them opera singer Inia Te Wiata, comedian Billy T. James, senior public servant Wira Gardiner, netballer Joline Henry, and former

Governor-General of New Zealand The governor-general of New Zealand () is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and lives in the United Kingdom, he, on the Advice ...

Jerry Mateparae. The 2018 documentary ''Sharing the Love'' by Rochelle Umaga explores whāngai in modern New Zealand.Sharing the Love documentary brings Māori adoption custom whāngai to light
" '' New Zealand Herald'', 27 December 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2020.

References

{{reflist Māori culture Māori words and phrases Māori society Adoption forms and related practices Adoption in New Zealand

See also

References