What does a sea turtle tattoo symbolize in the Maori culture?

The Delaware Indians were using turtle tattoos, the turtle is also the greek symbol for 'woman', sailors got a turtle tattoo when they crossed the equator, in Japan the turtle is the symbol of a long life,but in the Christian world the turtle is the symbol for laziness and procrastination...

Turtles are able to escape the world with the comfort of its shell, so there are many people who identify well with this aquatic creature. The spirit of the turtle is one of protection, healing and inner knowledge. The Turtle is considered by some Indigenous North Americans to be one of their the oldest, most sacred symbols. They believed that North America was created on the back of a turtle. To this day most Indigenous peoples refer to North America as Turtle Island.

The medicine of turtle is its deliberate and thorough approach to life; Turtle is also courageous because it makes progress only when it sticks its neck out, and moves forward with patient, steady flow in order to achieve the desired results.

(http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoos_designs_symbols_turtles.htm)