Acknowledging it as one of New Zealand’s founding documents, Zeal recognises Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a living partnership and thus applies its principles in a contemporary, practical setting by way of three connected tikanga:

i. Partnership
Zeal aims to always establish a relationship between itself and local iwi in the hope  that by collaborating and working together we can offer greater services to Rangatahi M āori where  and when appropriate.

ii. Participation
Zeal identifies with tikanga and kaupapa Māori for their Rangatahi in all of its  processes and outworkings and in doing so both encourages M āori culture and breaths life to  kaupapa M āori at Zeal.

iii. Protection
To ensure that Te Ao Māori is protected and upheld within our practice, Zeal strives  to model itself as an 'Urban Marae' for young people where all are welcome, fed, encouraged to learn, participate and work together as a whanau.

Zeal uses a Maori well-being strategy as a framework for working with all its young people. This framework, Whare tapa wha, speaks of the four walls of a Maori meeting house as the four walls of a young persons well being.

These four walls are defined as follows:

• Te Taha Hinengaro | Emotional Well-Being
  Zeal is committed to building the emotional health of the young people it works with. This may happen by growing the young persons competency in a area of mastery, such as photography or songwriting, or by talking one on one to a young person once a week to help them work through an issue.
• Te Taha Wairua | Spiritual Well-Being
  Zeal is committed to helping a young person find their identity in a spiritual context. This may happen by connecting the young person back to the roots of their culture or, following the young person's interest, drawing them to a particular faith or religion. Zeal aims to be supportive of the young persons spiritual journey, not instructive of it.
• Te Taha Tinana | Physical Well-Being
  Zeal is committed to helping young people live well in a fast food culture. This is modeled by offering healthy food alternatives to young people and in some cases teaching them how to cook and gain independence in this area. Zeal also works alongside other agencies for young people living with issues of physical well-being, such as self-harm or eating disorders (this also shapes Te Taha Hinengaro).
• Te Taha Whanau | Family Well-Being
  Zeal believes that family is an important part of a young person's development. Zeal seeks to involve family members and have a unified approach to the young persons development where and when possible.