Anayzing the Conceptualization and Implementation of Te Awa Tupua in the Context of the 2023 General Election
Faculty Mentor
Soenke Biermann, Jessica Clark, Nigel Hayes
Major/Area of Research
Global Studies, Social Science, Policy, Environment, Indigenous Rights
Description
Introduction: Internationally, there has been an Indigenous-led movement towards implementing environmental policies enumerating the rights of nature, representing a shift towards legislation that recognizes Indigenous ontologies surrounding water stewardship. Spearheading this movement is the 2017 policy, Te Awa Tupua, (Whanganui River Claims Settlement Bill), which grants legal personhood to the Whanganui River in Aotearoa. Research surrounding Te Awa Tupua predominately relates to the philosophical foundations and historical context for the implementation of the policy, but there is a gap in research analyzing the success of the policy’s implementation in the context of national politics. This three-month qualitative case study analyzes the conceptualization of Te Awa Tupua, and the impact of the policy in local commerce and governance in the context of the 2023 election.
Methods: The theoretical frameworks of this study are defined by Decolonial Theory and Kaupapa Māori, which encourage research to be conducted through the lens of a Māori worldview and Critical Race Theory which identifies the impact of race in governance and sociolegal perceptions of Te Awa Tupua. Data were obtained through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, surveys, bibliographic research, and archival sources.
Results and Conclusion: The findings of the study indicate that Te Awa Tupua empowers Maori communities to share the ontologies underpinning their relationship to the Te Awa Tupua with Pākehā, and has provided a platform for Māori and Pākehā collaboration in protecting the Te Awa Tupua which has already begun to impact local governance. However, Te Awa Tupua is limited by the constraints of the colonial legal structure it is embedded in, in addition to specific limitations to the scope of the policy. Additionally, the new coalition government opposes Māori political rights and environmental regulation, which may potentially impact the implementation of Te Awa Tupua.
Anayzing the Conceptualization and Implementation of Te Awa Tupua in the Context of the 2023 General Election
Introduction: Internationally, there has been an Indigenous-led movement towards implementing environmental policies enumerating the rights of nature, representing a shift towards legislation that recognizes Indigenous ontologies surrounding water stewardship. Spearheading this movement is the 2017 policy, Te Awa Tupua, (Whanganui River Claims Settlement Bill), which grants legal personhood to the Whanganui River in Aotearoa. Research surrounding Te Awa Tupua predominately relates to the philosophical foundations and historical context for the implementation of the policy, but there is a gap in research analyzing the success of the policy’s implementation in the context of national politics. This three-month qualitative case study analyzes the conceptualization of Te Awa Tupua, and the impact of the policy in local commerce and governance in the context of the 2023 election.
Methods: The theoretical frameworks of this study are defined by Decolonial Theory and Kaupapa Māori, which encourage research to be conducted through the lens of a Māori worldview and Critical Race Theory which identifies the impact of race in governance and sociolegal perceptions of Te Awa Tupua. Data were obtained through participant observation, semi-structured interviews, surveys, bibliographic research, and archival sources.
Results and Conclusion: The findings of the study indicate that Te Awa Tupua empowers Maori communities to share the ontologies underpinning their relationship to the Te Awa Tupua with Pākehā, and has provided a platform for Māori and Pākehā collaboration in protecting the Te Awa Tupua which has already begun to impact local governance. However, Te Awa Tupua is limited by the constraints of the colonial legal structure it is embedded in, in addition to specific limitations to the scope of the policy. Additionally, the new coalition government opposes Māori political rights and environmental regulation, which may potentially impact the implementation of Te Awa Tupua.