Abstract
New Zealand Māori society experienced drastic urbanization as many Māori left their tribal territories and migrated into urban areas. However, while recent retribalization has drawn attention to traditional tribal groups, the reality of migrant Māori in cities remains invisible. Accordingly, this article focuses on the Papakura Māori community in south Auckland, where the inherent duality of periphery in the geopolitical sense is clearly illustrated by the ambiguity of tangata whenua and the presence of diverse migrant Māori. An ethnographic analysis of the marae establishment revealed that most Māori emphasized the residents’ shared attributes in order to plan the marae and construct a ‘Papakura Māori’ identity. At the same time, however, they often reinforced tribal identity and negotiated on that basis. It can be said that both tactics were necessary in securing the marae as their tūrangawaewae, for establishing an urban marae required ceaseless negotiations among the Māori involved. This case demonstrates the dynamism between the new ‘Papakura Māori’ identity and traditional tribal identities, which can be understood more meaningfully through a consideration of the geopolitical features of Papakura and the inherent duality of periphery.
