Opportunities and complexities for Māori and mana whenua representation in local government

Abstract

In this article, I outline the existing legislative options available and rationale for Māori representation in local government. I suggest that the arguments and rationale against Māori representation have been exacerbated by a lack of clarity around local government’s duties and obligations stemming from the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. In the second part of this article, I explore more recent arguments by Māori for representation and involvement in local government decision-making on the basis of being mana whenua, which means to have territorial authority and power associated with the possession and occupation of tribal land. This argument foregrounds specific iwi (tribes) as holding territorial authority and therefore rights to representation and involvement in decision-making sourced in tikanga Māori (Māori law), over and above other Māori who live in that area. I examine in detail the Rotorua District Council’s establishment of the Te Arawa Partnership Board in 2015 and argue that this Board and its first election results provide unique insights into the relationship between Te Arawa people living in and outside the district and has implications for broader conversations about the rights of Māori living away from their tribal areas.

• Local government
• mana whenua
• Māori representation
• Treaty of Waitangi

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maria Bargh

Author biography

Maria Bargh (Te Arawa, Ngāti Awa) is Head of School and Senior Lecturer in Māori Studies at Victoria University of Wellington. Maria completed a PhD in Political Science and International Relations at the Australian National University. Her research is in the area of Māori politics, resource management and economics and her latest book, A Hidden Economy: Māori in the Privatised Military Industry was published in 2015.