Kia Vai Rai Auraka Kia Taui‘ia - Let it remain, Let it change: Negotiations of religion among Cook Island Māori in New Zealand

This thesis examines how Cook Island Māori in contemporary New Zealand negotiate religion. It does so through a qualitative study, based on in-depth conversations with ten Cook Island Māori. The conversations reveal a complex social and relational dynamic to the ways in which Cook Island Māori understand and navigate religion. I argue that the Cook Island Māori in this research negotiate religion in a socialised manner that seeks to make sense of Christianity’s relationship with Cook Island Māori culture. To understand the ways in which this socialised negotiation of religion occurs, I employ the Cook Island Māori relational methodology, ‘akapapa‘anga, and draw from recent scholarship examining the discursive construction of religion. Through this approach, I identified three ‘modes of sociality’ which I name ‘Religion Affirmed,’ ‘Religion Redescribed,’ and ‘Religion Unsettled.’ Each mode captures the different and distinct ways in which these Cook Island Māori are negotiating what religion signifies for them, trying to make sense of Christianity’s relationship to Cook Island Māori culture, and navigating broader social obligations towards family and their community. Sitting underneath these socialised negotiations of religion is the impact of colonisation on Cook Island Māori people and culture. The impact of colonisation is contested due to implications to personal, social, and historical agency. This thesis demonstrates that the meaning of ‘religion,’ what constitutes Cook Island Māori culture, and the importance of different social relationships, are contested. It also indicates the centrality of ‘akapapa‘anga in the negotiation of these differences, the ongoing significance of Christianity in shaping diverse understandings of religion for Cook Island Māori, and the fruitfulness of relational epistemologies for the social scientific study of Pacific religion today.