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February 22, 2026
#digital: Standing Together for Rangatahi — A Māori Lens on New Zealand’s Cyberbullying Response
Matthew Tukaki
Posted On February 22, 2026
In the digital age, our tamariki and rangatahi walk between two worlds – the physical spaces of their whānau, kura, marae and communities, and the vast online networks that shape their learning, relationships and sense of belonging. For many, the internet is a place of connection and creativity. But for too many others, it is also a space where hurt can follow them home, where voices meant to lift up instead tear down. Recent research shows that online harm – particularly cyberbullying – is costing Aotearoa over one billion dollars a year in lost wellbeing, lost productivity and social harm. This figure reflects not just economic loss, but the emotional and spiritual impacts on people, especially young people, who experience harm through digital spaces.
From a Māori worldview, our responsibility as kaitiaki – guardians – extends into all realms where our ākonga live and grow. Digital environments cannot be set apart from this responsibility. If online spaces are where rangatahi spend time, learn, create, and build their identity, then ensuring those spaces are safe and nurturing is part of our collective duty to uphold mana and wellbeing. This is the context in which a new national cyberbullying toolkit has been developed by the online safety organisation Netsafe, with support from the Ministry of Education.
The toolkit represents a shift – from awareness alone toward practical empowerment. Rather than leaving teachers, schools and whānau to navigate cyberbullying with limited resources, this set of research-informed materials offers ready-to-use lesson plans, activities and guided conversations designed for Years 5 to 13. It gives kaiako and ākonga tools to understand what online harm looks like, how to respond safely, and, importantly, how to build positive online cultures where rangatahi can lead with empathy, respect and accountability.
For Māori, the wellbeing of tamariki and rangatahi is woven into the health of whānau, hapū and iwi. When a young person experiences online harm, the impact is not just individual – its ripples reach into entire whānau whānui. Māori young people are among those most likely to encounter online harm, and this toolkit acknowledges the need to respond holistically rather than in isolation. It supports teaching that reflects whakamana – strengthening the mana of individuals and communities – rather than shaming or exclusion.
Equipping schools with a pathway from conversation to action honours traditional Māori methods of learning through dialogue, shared stories, and collective accountability. It recognises that rangatahi are not passive recipients of policy but active participants in shaping the cultures they inhabit, both on and offline. This approach aligns with wider calls from Māori child advocacy groups that solutions to online harm must meaningfully involve young people in decisions that affect them – recognising their rights, insights and agency in a rapidly evolving digital world.
While the toolkit will not end cyberbullying overnight, it is a practical step forward in fulfilling our shared obligation to protect and nurture rangatahi. It positions educators, whānau and students not as isolated bystanders but as a united community walking together toward safer, more compassionate digital spaces. In doing so, it reflects the core Māori principle of kotahitanga – standing together in unity – towards a future where every young person can stand with integrity, both in their physical communities and in the digital whare they inhabit.
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