Utu (Māori concept)

{{short description|Māori concept of reciprocation or balance}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

{{Use New Zealand English|date=April 2024}}

Utu is a Māori concept of reciprocation or balance.

To retain mana, both friendly and unfriendly actions require an appropriate response; that is, utu covers both the reciprocation of kind deeds,{{cite web|url=http://www.justice.govt.nz/publications/publications-archived/2001/he-hinatore-ki-te-ao-maori-a-glimpse-into-the-maori-world/part-1-traditional-maori-concepts/utu|title=Utu|publisher=Ministry of Justice, New Zealand|access-date=17 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810035543/https://www.justice.govt.nz/publications/publications-archived/2001/he-hinatore-ki-te-ao-maori-a-glimpse-into-the-maori-world/part-1-traditional-maori-concepts/utu|archive-date=10 August 2011}} and the seeking of revenge.[http://www.waitangi.com/warfare/utu.html "UTU - Payment and Revenge, an Eye for an Eye"]

Utu is one of the key principles of the constitutional tradition of Māori along with whanaungatanga (the centrality of relationships), mana and tapu/noa (the recognition of the spiritual dimension).{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Carwyn |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1124338401 |title=Indigenous peoples and the state : international perspectives on the Treaty of Waitangi |date=2019 |others=Mark Hickford, Carwyn Jones |isbn=978-0-367-89544-0 |location=London |chapter=Māori and State visions of law and peace |oclc=1124338401}} Along with equivalent traditions in other Indigenous communities, it has also been cited as an influence in attempts to introduce restorative justice into the criminal justice systems both in New Zealand and elsewhere.{{Cite journal |last1=Takagi |first1=Paul |last2=Shank |first2=Gregory |date=2004 |title=Critique of Restorative Justice |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/29768262 |journal=Social Justice |volume=31 |issue=3 (97) |pages=147–163 |jstor=29768262 |issn=1043-1578}}{{Cite journal |last1=Shriver |first1=Donald W. |last2=Shriver |first2=Peggy L. |date=2012 |title=Law, Religion, and Restorative Justice in New Zealand |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23645229 |journal=Journal of Law and Religion |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=143–177 |doi=10.1017/S0748081400000266 |jstor=23645229 |issn=0748-0814}}

Utu can also be used about monetary repayments, paying or repaying.{{Cite web|url=https://maoridictionary.co.nz/search?idiom=&phrase=&proverb=&loan=&histLoanWords=&keywords=utu|title=utu - Māori Dictionary|website=maoridictionary.co.nz|access-date=2019-09-10}}