How do Māori ideas relate to animal ethics?
This article provides a summary of animal ethics and the Three Rs – replacement, reduction and refinement – using a kaupapa Māori approach.
The following text is an excerpt from Exploring the Three Rs of Animal Ethics with Māori Ideas (a version of the text is available as a PDF in te reo Māori only or a bilingual version).
To understand oneself as literally related to all the living and non-living element s of the natural world makes a coherent reason for taking care of nature and is part of an ethos of respect for nature, including animals, that is defined using the metaphor of kaitiakitanga for conservation.
The Māori system of values underwritten by whakapapa is defined as an “environmental virtue ethic” consisting of big ideas deriving from the cosmogenic whakapapa narratives as well as personal qualities for being good citizens of the natural world.
The Three Rs of animal ethics – replacement, reduction and refinement
Discussions have been taking place in Aotearoa New Zealand about adopting ‘respect’ as a ‘fourth R.’ The problem with this suggestion is that it overlooks the fact that the Three Rs already share an underlying attitude of respect for animals.
The principles of scientific reasoning mean not adding more Rs unless logically necessary. Since the Three Rs are interlinked and hierarchical, it is unhelpful to add another R that is antecedent to the existing Three Rs and of a different orde r or level as a concept. A chain of reasoning from the Māori concepts based on whakapapa, captured in ‘relate and respect’, provides a solid connection between ‘respect’ and the Three Rs.
Guided by manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga
Māori knowledge is holistic in the sense that it does not attempt to separate facts from values and thereby enables us to act with integrity and compassion towards the natural world – including treating animals with dignity and respect. Understood in this principled way, respect for animals underpins the intent and effect of the Three Rs strategies to alleviate harm to animals used in research, testing and teaching.
Tikanga in research and teaching
Professor Eloise Jillings (Ngāti Maru Hauraki), Massey University, and Dr Kimiora Hēnare (Ngāti Hauā, Te Aupōuri, Te Rarawa), University of Auckland, are scientists who work with animals. Kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga inform how they work with animals in lab settings. Kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga also guide their work as educators to support the wellbeing of students.
Please note that the video footage of the laboratory mice is from the United Kingdom and not from the University of Auckland.
Questions for discussion
Kimiora describes multiple ways in which he practises kaitiakitanga. Discuss some of the ways in which he acts as kaitiaki.
Eloise describes multiple ways in which she practises manaakitanga. Discuss some of the ways in which manaakitanga features in her work as a veterinarian and as an educator.
Expectations for how people should act towards animals are guided by the Māori concepts of manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga, which allow us to go beyond what is legally required, developing and fostering a culture of care for animals – and a commitment to improving animal welfare and scientific quality.
These discussions show how a Māori conceptual framework, with its associated principles and practices, offers an approach to thinking about animal ethics that avoids the anthropocentrism in science and Western thinking about animals. The approach also provides a logical reason to respect animals, which leads to and supports the Three Rs.
Messengers from atua
Manu like rūrū were seen as messengers from spirit worlds, carrying warnings or reassurances from atua.
In the Māori world, animals are related to humans through whakapapa. Animals as well as humans are descendants of ngā atua, and as such are considered to have their own mana and tapu. Ngā atua are able to operate in the natural world and communicate with humans using animals as their messengers and intermediaries.
These basic understandings mean that animals command respect from humans both as kin and as ethically significant beings in their own right. Therefore, animals must be treated with tika, pono and aroha, which work together and form a simple but robust framework for right action and respect for the tapu and mana of whakapapa – also expressed as doing the right thing with integrity and love.
In this way, Māori philosophical concepts underpin respect for truth and the natural world, of which both animals and humans are part. Whakapapa relationships embed respect for animals in Māori philosophy, which thereby provides conceptual support for the Three Rs.
Related content
Māori concepts for animal ethics – introduction brings together resources that explore animal ethics with a kaupapa Māori approach. Other resources include:
The Hub has extensive resources curated under the topic Ethics and science. Use the filters to narrow your search.
Māori knowledge of animals is an introduction to Māori knowledge of a selected sample of animal species indigenous to Aotearoa. Mātauranga Māori about animals known to tūpuna is presented in six groupings:
Ngā manu a Tānemahuta (featuring pīwakawaka, tūī, kererū, rūrū, kōtare, tītī and toroa)
Ngā ika a Tangaroa (featuring makō and tohorā)
Activity ideas
Animal ethics – creating texts has topic suggestions for exploring some of the key concepts featured in this suite of resources.
The Three Rs of animal ethics – crossword puzzles is ideal for making meaning from text and using content vocabulary. Puzzles are in English and te reo Māori.
Explore animal ethics via the context of roaming and/or feral house cats:
Useful links
ANZCCART is the Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching. Its website contains information for animal carers, animal ethics committee members, scientists and schools as well as other interested parties, including booklets on the application of the Three Rs.
Visit the Royal Society Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi website to read about the research report: New Zealanders’ Attitudes to Animal Research in 2023. Visit the Science Media Centre website for experts’ reactions to this report.
Acknowledgement
This content has been developed by Professor Georgina Tuari Stewart (Ngāti Kura , Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu, Pare Hauraki), Auckland University of Technology, and Dr Sally Birdsall, University of Auckland, with funding and support from the Ministry for Primary Industries – Manatū Ahu Matua and the Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART).
Animals of Aotearoa and animal ethics
Animals of Aotearoa: Kaupapa Māori Summaries and Exploring the Three Rs of Animal Ethics with Māori Ideas were developed with funding from the Australian and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals in Research and Teaching (ANZCCART) and the Ministry for Primary Industries. The silhouette design was created for this project and is the copyright of Professor Georgina Tuari Stewart and Dr Sally Birdsall.
