STORYING KAITIAKITANGA: Exploring Kaupapa Māori land and water food stories

AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples

Dell

Elers

et al. 2022

This article theorises the question—what is the role and nature of Indigenous environmental defenders in Aotearoa New Zealand? We explore Māori—the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand—who act as environmental defenders of their lands and waters despite the perpetual insecurity of their constitutional rights and imbalances in power and resources compared with state and corporate actors. The environmental defence of Aotearoa New Zealand by Māori began with the arrival of European explorers’ intent on overturning Indigenous institutions of environmental management that has sustained their peoples for a thousand years. Stemming from case study analysis of Māori environmental defenders at Ihumātao in Māngere and Ōroua River in Manawatū, we propose whenua (land) resilience theory to explain the concomitance of environmental defence and development from an Indigenous perspective.

Section: Indigenous Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous environmental defenders in Aotearoa New Zealand: Ihumātao and Ōroua River

AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples

Dell

Elers

et al. 2022

“…This framework fundamentally centres on the principle of kaitiakitanga (stewardship, guardianship), which obliges responsible use and protection of natural resources for the coexistence and shared wellbeing of people and nature (Kawharu, 2000). While kaitiakitanga is widely used in environmental policy and practice across mulitple sectors (Cherrington, 2019;Hutchings et al, 2020;Thompson, 2018), operationalising and evaluating its effect in business is relatively recent (Maxwell et al, 2020;Spiller et al, 2011).…”

Section: Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Te Awa Tupua: peace, justice and sustainability through Indigenous tourism

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

Scheyvens

2021

Te Awa Tupua is an ancestor of the M aori people of Whanganui, and is also the Whanganui River, who in 2017 was formally recognised as a person. While legally conferring personhood upon an element of nature is relatively novel, it recognises a fundamental principle of indigeneity, that all things-human and nonhuman-are related. We explore intersections of peace, justice, and sustainability through Indigenous tourism in case studies of three M aori tourism enterprises on Te Awa Tupua (the Whanganui River). Our paper spotlights three findings. First, that treaty settlements elevate the status of M aori knowledge and contain elements of peace-making and economy-making as decolonising projects of self-determined development. Second, while indigeneity is foundational, we found that syncretism is evident in the sustainability of M aori tourism enterprises. Third, we uncovered a socioecological dissonance in attitudes towards commercial growth, with M aori tourism enterprises opting for slower and lower growth in favour of environmental and community wellbeing. We propose a model of Indigenous tourism called kaupapa t apoi. We conclude by suggesting that reconciling differences in viewpoints on sustainability and growth between M aori and non-M aori tourism enterprises will require involvement of several institutional actors, starting with Te Awa Tupua.

“…For instance, tribal members may consider that any assessment of wealth, and therefore wealth creation, includes elements of Māori language and culture (Higgins et al , 2014; Mead, 1994b). Wealth for tribes includes land, which seems to be similar for most indigenous peoples (Harris and Wasilewski, 2004; Hutchings et al , 2017). Land has both a cultural and economic value for tribes and is treated differently (Dyall, 1985; Kingi, 2007).…”

Section: Rebalancing Wealth Creation and Wealth Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unfolding tensions within post-settlement governance and tribal economies in Aotearoa New Zealand

Smith

Gillies

et al. 2019

JEC

Purpose This paper aims to examine indigenous governance and economies of iwi Maori (Maori tribes) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Research into persisting inequities amongst iwi that have settled treaty claims and the potential for intervention through new governance models and indigenous entrepreneurship contextualise the paper. Design/methodology/approach Kaupapa Maori (Maori philosophy) is used as an indigenous methodology to facilitate and empower transformative change, underpinned by Maori knowledge, language and culture. A multi-level approach is used to collect data from international, national and local tribal organisations. Validity is established through stakeholder engagement. Findings A central challenge in the post-treaty settlement context is exponentialising tribal capabilities because of the multiple purposes ascribed to post-settled iwi. Four themes, characterised as “unfolding tensions”, offer a critique and basis for solving tribal development challenges: how do tribes create culturally grounded global citizens; how do tribes rebalance wealth creation and wealth distribution; how do tribes recalibrate tribal institutions; and how do tribes embed entrepreneurship and innovation within their economies? Research limitations/implications As data collection is still underway, the paper is conceptual. Practical implications Five strategies to address unfolding tensions are identified for tribes to consider. Social implications Tribal governors and tribal members are implicated in the analysis, as well as the architects of post-treaty settlement governance models. Originality/value The paper contributes to theorising about tribal governance, economies and entrepreneurship.