Aims
Many commentators see the signalled 2014 end of the historical Treaty settlements process as ushering in a new era in Crown-Maori relations. Rather than focusing on the resolution of past grievances which have defined the relationship for a generation the Crown and Maori should in theory be able to switch attention to forward-looking matters such as social service delivery, resource management, constitutional arrangements, and so on. With their settlement funds, as it is often put, Maori will be able to shift from grievance mode to productive mode, from litigation to wealth creation.
In reality, however, many of the ‘post-settlement’ discussions are occurring already, often in the context of historical claim negotiations. Co-management agreements, cultural heritage accords, annual summits between iwi leaders and ministers, and memoranda of understanding between iwi and a variety of government departments are all the by-products of the historical settlements process. Iwi have sought to leverage off the settlement process to gain such concessions in the contemporary relationship, while the political will that exists to make settlements has usually seen the Crown prepared to oblige.
In other words, there is no clear-cut post-settlement era or set of agreed issues. Rather, what we can observe are the ongoing dynamics of the Crown-Maori relationship. Where the completion of settlements will make a clear difference, however, is that the convenient levers for establishing these new relationships will be gone. Into the future, the nation will have to front up to defining the Crown-Maori relationship on its own terms, and without any recourse to the relatively protected environment of historical settlements. That this process will often be fraught can be seen in the intense debate over such matters as the foreshore and seabed, the provision of Maori seats in the new Auckland supercity, and the Governments support of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The issues that will continue to arise in the Crown-Maori relationship are all large, complex, and often very difficult conceptually and politically. In relation to many of them there are strongly entrenched viewpoints, and in some cases there will be major difficulties in finding any consensus. Many issues will be solved through political wrangling rather than informed debate.
We hope that this website will assist the policy community and the wider public to gain a better understanding of emerging Crown-Māori relationships, and to help inform the design of institutions and policies that support the continuing development of a prosperous, cohesive and fair society for all New Zealanders.
Who are we?
This is a joint venture between the Institute of Policy Studies and Māori Studies (Te Kawa a Māui) at Victoria University. The project is supported by a grant from the Emerging Issues Fund.
The project is run by Paul Hamer, Paul Callister and Peter Adds.
How we selected our writers?
Many New Zealanders have made significant contributions to our understanding of Treaty relationships, both historic and in relation to possible future directions. Our selection of writers for each issue is a mix of well-known and not so well-known New Zealanders from a range of backgrounds. Project authors are listed here.
We want to hear from you
Given that many others have already expressed opinions on each topic, in each section we include links to a selection of opinion pieces already on the web. But we want to know the views of all New Zealanders. We encourage visitors to this website to leave constructive comments on the papers, links to their own opinion pieces and, overall, enter into debate about the ideas presented on this site.
