"Kei a koe, chair!" - the norms of Tikanga and the role of Hui as a Maori constitutional tradition

Hui and hui runanga, Maori decision-making gatherings, are vital in Maori constitutionalism. Hui demonstrate the practical exercise of tikanga Maori. There is a set of relatively stable Maori legal norms, derived from tikanga Maori, that can be seen at work in such hui-based decision-making. These norms (mana, tapu, whakapapa, whanaungatanga and rangatiratanga) serve to strengthen and demonstrate group processes. They arguably do not establish merely optional guidelines for group behaviour; they can serve to constrain decision-making. A case study set in a hui in a modern Maori urban context serves to demonstrate the exercise of such Maori legal norms in civic decision-making.