Māori governance has been addressed in a new publication intended for government departments, iwi, academics and the lay community.
It’s a brief overview and extensive literature review on Māori governance – that includes analysis on the structures, processes and systems that incorporate tikanga and mātauranga Māori.
Ka Takahia ano o tātou Tapuae: Retracing Our Steps
Ka Takahia ano o tātou Tapuae: Retracing Our Steps has been put together by staff at Te Mata HautūTaketake, the Māori and Indigenous Governance Centre (MIGC) at the University of Waikato.
Centre Director Dr Robert Joseph, a co-editor of the publication, says he saw a need to gather the disparate articles, book chapters, theses and conference papers on Māori governance to help different groups and organisations get a clearer understanding of the issues.
Current situation of Māori governance
“I think providing research on the current situation of Māori governance among different entities in New Zealand is very important. The values, laws and institutions of Māori governance are different in places to those of mainstream New Zealand governance,” he says.
Dr Joseph says the multiple accountabilities of Māori governors to their whānau and community members, and beneficiaries and external stakeholders make their governance challenges somewhat unique.
A new approach
“We need a new approach to Māori governance to deal appropriately with Māori governance values, institutions and aspirations. These different values, laws, institutional frameworks and cultural traditions explain why governance varies in different countries and even between communities within a country.”
Dr Joseph also has a second literature review on the go, which will take a more international view of Indigenous peoples’ governance, and a book on Māori governance in mind.
Ka Takahia ano o tātou Tapuae: Retracing Our Steps is available from MIGC for $35 + pp in New Zealand and $40 + pp for overseas.