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  • Maori aspirations for self-determination are tied to Article Two of the Treaty ofWaitangi which guarantees the tribes "the full and exclusive and undisturbed possession of their Lands Forests Fisheries and other properties so long as it is their desire to do so". Article Two provides the base with which to exercise control over economic resources which then provides the means, politically, culturally, economically and socially to determine Maori affairs. To have limited self-determining authority, Maori tribes need not only an economic base, but also an improved standing socio-economically. This paper will assess whether preferential policies based on redistributive justice are an appropriate means to help overcome inequalities between Maori and non-Maori.

  • Maori Affairs policy has historically proven doubleedged in simultaneously advancing yet diminishing Maori aspirations. Recent emphasis on claims-making as a key policy component is shown to be fraught with contradiction and neo-colonisms, no more so than around the ambiguous benefits of 'throwing money' at a problem rather than working through the differences in a relationship. Proposed instead of a claims-making model of Maori Affairs is a constructive engagement approach that seeks to recalibrate Maori-Crown relations by advancing innovative patterns of belonging. A commitment to constructive engagement not only bolsters the chances of living together with our fundamental differences in a post -colonising Aotearoa. A focus on relations rather than restitution also enhances the principles and practices of tino rangatiratanga rights as a framework for establishing Maori models of self-determination over jurisdictions pertaining to land, identity, and political voice.

Last update from database: 10/23/26, 4:11 AM (UTC)