A Question of Identity: Young Māori Connections to Marae—Do They Matter?

Cultural connection, identity and belonging are increasingly shaped by urbanisation, mobility and the conditions of digitally integrated and often mediated life. Maintaining place‐based Indigenous relationships and responsibilities is important especially given the social, cultural or geographic distance between Indigenous people and their ancestral homelands and institutions. In New Zealand, understanding how young Māori consider their homelands or marae and the knowledge systems embedded within those settings is important for marae futures. This study asked a central question: Does marae connection still matter for young Māori? Through surveys conducted in eight secondary schools in the north and south islands, we investigated how young Māori understand the value of maintaining relationships with their ancestral marae and what conditions enable or inhibit those connections. Schools emerged as critical sites for cultivating marae‐based knowledge and confidence, as well as providing opportunities for students to visit marae. For most participants, schools are the primary and sometimes the only places where they learn about Māori heritage, identity and marae. This finding contrasts with customary contexts in which marae were central sites of learning. Knowledge of ancestral marae histories and broader social and environmental relationships was consistently described as strengthening both belonging and confidence. Social and cultural practices at schools were frequently identified as accessible and meaningful pathways to connection, particularly for those living at a distance from their marae. While across all schools young Māori expressed a strong sense of connection or a clear desire to connect or reconnect to their ancestral marae, many also reported reluctance or uncertainty about engaging. These experiences reflect challenges they face growing up at a distance from their ancestral marae, a reality that for some has extended over some generations. Digital tools are valued as important communication and connection aids, but as supplemental to, rather than replacement of, embodied, in‐person relational marae engagement.