A change of plan: Collaborative ambitions meet institutional realities for the Waikato River

Abstract

Aotearoa New Zealand has shifted towards more collaborative decisionmaking for freshwater in recent years, as national and local authorities seek new ways of working with communities. While the potential benefits of collaboration are well established, the messiness of collaborative processes can challenge institutional imperatives to develop formally justified, implementable plans. This paper explores a collaboration-first attempt, 'Healthy Rivers/Wai Ora: Proposed Waikato Regional Plan Change 1', demonstrating that while more inclusive forms of plan-making may better reflect diverse values, interests and knowledges, relinquishing control over planning processes can present significant challenges in the face of existing institutional structures and legislative requirements.

Global studies and human geography: A view from Aotearoa New Zealand

“…To be sure, human geographers have been cultivating te ao Māori to great benefit to the community in Aotearoa and beyond (Parsons et al, 2016; Parsons et al, 2019). We are seeing exceptional work in these spaces in this journal (Kitson & Cain, 2022; Paterson‐Shallard et al, 2022; Tadaki et al, 2022; Taylor, 2022) and in leading journals in human geography (see Yates et al, 2022). Engagement with mātauranga Māori is a requirement in most major and prestigious research grant applications in Aotearoa.…”

Building a Monitoring Toolkit to Give Effect to Ngaa Rauru Freshwater Values

“…These relationships should be structured to negate any power imbalances that would see one ontology to marginalise the other, like that seen and felt by Maaori all around the country. By building on the works of Fisher et al (2022) and Smith (2012), there is potential to forge a path forward, through which the nuances of values are not lost, and te ao Maaori values can be adequately considered in their own right, rather than through the lens of Eurocentric environmental values.…”

“…The recognition of a much-needed shift in the way we conduct freshwater management is reflected in literature (McFarlane & Šunde, 2022;Grubert, 2018;Mattijssen, 2020). In Aotearoa, we have seen this through the works of Salmond et al (2014), Tadaki et al (2021), andFisher et al (2022), all of whom challenge the focus on quality and quantity, instead advocating for an approach that better addresses the disconnect between people and water. Many tools, models, and frameworks have been developed to approach freshwater management in this more holistic manner, placing a greater emphasis on relational environmental values (Ban et al, 2018;Tavares Freitas et al, 2019) Knowledge to inform the protection of culturally significant species and to ultimately work in collaboration on restoration activities (Maxwell et al, 2018;Noble et al, 2016).…”

“…When searching for overlapping or complementary values, it tends to be the values prevalent in our settler-colonial structures that take precedence (DePuy et al, 2022). In many ways, our efforts to conduct these conversations focus on the equal representation of knowledge, but do not tend to address the ontological tensions and dynamics of governance and decisionmaking (Wilson & Insker, 2018;Fisher et al, 2022). The established dichotomy between practice and governance creates issues when giving effect to iwi and hapuu values, and the lack of equitable power distribution causes continual marginalisation of indigenous environmental values (Paterson-Shallard et al, 2018).…”

“…Through this thesis, the results highlight the need for more attention to be placed on the ontological perspective of governance. Fisher et al (2022) writes about this from an ecosystem-based management perspective, suggesting four pou to generate effective governance: "enacting interactive administrative arrangements, diversifying knowledge production, prioritising equity, justice, and social difference, and recognising interconnections and interconnectedness" (p.609). Likewise, Smith (2012) talks about the politics of truth, the importance of owning up to limitations, and where compromises are made.…”