“The river’s been waiting so long… we’ll all need to have our friends, all the councils …
everyone working for one goal.”
Lady Raiha Mahuta[1]
Persistent environmental despoliation in spite of the intricate system of environmental governance has frustrated Māori. The traditional role of tangata whenua as kaitiaki has been continually undermined and their cultural values viewed as mystical but with little practical value for environmental governance. So when environmental issues have arisen in Treaty of Waitangi settlement negotiations, co-management – that is, Maori insistence on their participation in environmental management – has seemed like an attractive alternative to status quo environmental governance.
Using the Waikato River deal as a case study, this policy project operationalizes the
concept of co-management. It develops a model of co-management and using comparative institutional analysis evaluates it against status quo environmental management in New Zealand. This comparison is undertaken in order to address two government policy failings: the need to offer substantive Māori representation in environmental governance and institute a stronger model of sustainability.
To read a copy of the full report click below…
Crown and Iwi Co-Management – FINAL REPORT
[1] Late wife of Sir Robert Mahuta and Waikato-Tainui River Settlement Co-negotiator. Lady Mahuta died just days before the empowering legislation was passed in Parliament. Quoted in: Yvonne Tahana, ‘Waikato waterways co-management settlement could apply elsewhere’ NZ Herald (18 December 2009).