This thesis sets out to provide the background to the development of Atuatanga and to clarify its meaning and its whakapapa in Te Māoritanga and Te Karaitianatanga. Although it has been taught as Māori theology in Tikanga Māori of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, this thesis argues that is includes theology and more: it is a way of living that critically analyses all the attributes of te Atua and endeavours to live those reflections in the world in order