John Johnston
Kaitiakitanga, 2017
Acrylic and waterborne enamel on canvas
1000 mm x 1000 mm
Kaitiakitanga means guardianship and protection. It’s a way of caring for the environment, based on the Māori world view. Kaitiakitanga is based on the idea of humans as part of the natural world. There is currently a growing interest in the concept of kaitiakitanga in Aotearoa New Zealand. My kids’ primary school now teaches kaitiakitanga as one of its central school values.