Whakataukī are metaphors that provide us with ethical guidelines, and tikanga and kawa are the wisdom, knowledge and history handed down from the past to future generations to help people navigate their lives and support aspirations for today and the future. Using a twin-hulled waka ama as a metaphor for the relationship between participants and researchers in Indigenous research, this article explores Māori and Indigenous ethics as having equal status to Western research ethics. In relation to research, ethics can be a complicated domain when working alongside Māori and Indigenous peoples. There is much more at stake, such as whanaungatanga, mātauranga Māori, reciprocity and an equal exchange of power—all of which can be somewhat political. Researchers conducting Indigenous research must take the time to learn the epistemological understandings of Indigenous peoples and have a genuine desire to be culturally competent and grounded in cultural humility. Additionally, they need to be mindful of the inherent power imbalances that exist, and therefore tikanga and cross-cultural or multicultural considerations are a must.