PRESS RELEASE: Call to Action from Tūhourangi: Regarding the Threat of Golden Clams on Our Lakes
Call to Action from Tūhourangi: Regarding the Threat of Golden Clams on Our Lakes
Rotorua Geothermal System Review
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC) are currently undertaking a review of all geothermal provisions relating to the Rotorua Geothermal System.
We want to ensure that you are aware of this process, to advise you of the planned Tūhourangi Tribal Authority response, and to offer support to Hapū in engaging with this process.
All policies relating to the Rotorua Geothermal System currently sit within the Rotorua Geothermal Plan and the Regional Natural Resources Plan. This review will include and combine all geothermal provisions into the RNRP. It will also:
Review and monitor effectiveness of current planning provisions
Review the Councils' understanding of geothermal
Identify community values
Develop system management plans
Weigh up different management options and their costs and benefits
The Rotorua Geothermal System Management Plan (SMP) which details the proposed changes has been released, and BOPRC are receiving feedback until 8 December 2023. The feedback will then be considered by a joint panel of Councilors and haukāinga representatives before the SMP is adopted by Council in 2024.
The haukāinga rōpū relates to the three pā under Te Ahi Kaa Roa, including Whakarewarewa and Ngāpuna. Our own Corey Ruha has been involved in the review process as part of this arrangement.
It is important that we are part of informing these policies as they directly relate to our Geothermal taonga, to ensure they give effect to customary interests in the first instance. As such, Tūhourangi Tribal Authority are drafting feedback to the proposed changes which will be circulated for feedback from Hapū and uri by Monday 27 November before it is submitted. This submission seeks to support and compliment the values and aspirations that have already been shared by our haukāinga rōpū throughout the review process.
We would also like to offer support to Hapū in providing their own feedback if they wish to do so. A submission template, as well as our draft and final submission will be provided. If you would like further support from TTA we strongly encourage you to get in touch to discuss what this may look like.
Further information
BOPRC Geothermal Plan Change and feedback process: https://www.boprc.govt.nz/environment/geothermal
Draft consultation document: https://atlas.boprc.govt.nz/api/v1/edms/document/A4458886/content
Ngā Wai Ariki o Rotorua He Kohikohinga: https://atlas.boprc.govt.nz/api/v1/edms/document/A3907905/content
Te Tūhura Nui - register now
We've heard you e te iwi, the upcoming 'Tūhura Nui - Amazing Race' on Saturday 2 December is now open to our taiohi 5-16yrs.
Register by Sunday 26 November if you want your team name printed on the official merch: register here.
More information will be added to the event page on Facebook, so make sure you're following along there and keeping an eye out on the stories for hints and kura huna
📍 Te Pūtake o Tawa
📅 Saturday 2 Decemer
⏰ 8:30am Registration and Briefing
If you have any pātai please comment, DM, or email annie@tuhourangi.iwi.nz
Tūhourangi Whare: Reawakening
Nau mai e te iwi, Tūhourangi ki Ōtūkawa invites their wider Tūhourangi whānau to the reawakening of the ancestral house, Tūhourangi, on 28 October, 2023.
Ngā Whakaritenga:
4:30am Tā i te kawa, Ngā mihimihi
6:30am Parakuihi, Breakfast
9:00am Pōhiri, Official Opening, Games and entertainment
1:00pm Hākari
Location: Tūhourangi Marae, 1443c Te Puke Highway
Please confirm attendance by Friday 20 October
Email: tuhourangikiotukawa@gmail.com
Tūhourangi Awards 2023
E te iwi, tēnā tauti mai ki te pō whakanui o Tūhourangi! Tūhourangi Tribal Authority presents the Tūhourangi Awards, on Saturday 2nd December 2023.
The Awards are an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge Tūhourangi tangata, kaupapa and pakihi who uplift, positively contribute, enhance and embody Tūhourangitanga in the mahi they do and in who they are.
Nominations are now open! Please read further for more information and nominate your whānau and share the word.
Categories
Taiao (Environment)
Tuakiri (Cultural)
Tangata (People)
Tahua (Economic)
Criteria
General eligibility criteria for all categories are:
Nominees must be registered with Tūhourangi Tribal Authority
Nominators must be registered with Tūhourangi Tribal Authority
All nominations must be in by 5pm Sunday 8th October
Nominations
Click here to make an online nomination
**Nominations close Sunday 8th October at 5pm**
More about the event
The Tūhourangi Awards evening will be held at the Pōhutu Conference Center, Rydges Hotel, Whakarewarewa
Formal attire
Tickets cost $54 pp
Contact admin@tuhourangi.iwi.nz for queries or payment plan options
TARIT: Job Vacancy
Te Arawa Iwi River Trust (TARIT) are looking for a Project Administrator to ensure the smooth running of their project activities, including supporting the project kaimahi with administrative tasks.
Position: Project Administrator
Contract: Fixed-term, September 2023-May 2025 (~30hrs/week)
The Project Administrator is responsible for the following:
• Support the Pou Mātauranga Wai Māori with all administrative tasks
• Co-ordinate project activities and operations efficiently
• Adherence to company policies
• Manage the diary and agenda, travel arrangements for the project team
• Track equipment and order project supplies
• Invoice input into Xero for signoff
• Prepare presentations
• Record meeting minutes
• Promote process improvements.
• Support the TARIT administrator as required
Skills required for the role:
• Taiao Project Administration
• Highly detail-oriented
• Extremely organised, reliable and effective communicator (written and oral)
• Resourceful problem-solver
• Strong relationship builder
• Process and deadline oriented
• An understanding of te reo and tikanga Māori
• Business Administration qualification (desired)
• Experience using Xero and other business-related software
If you'd like to be part of a small but innovative team, then please send your CV and cover letter to admin@tarit.co.nz
Applications close 12.00pm Friday 8th September, 2023.
Legend of the Peaks 2023: Tūhourangi Discount Code
Based in the Whakarewarewa ngahere, the Legend of the Peaks festival provides running and walking events for all levels of fitness with distances starting from 2kms for tamariki, to the pinnacle event the New Zealand Forest Marathon covering 42kms of off-road and trail running.
Tūhourangi uri have been given a discount code for any of our whānau looking to enter and take part in this event. Whether its to compete or to be on the whenua with whānau, enter this code at the checkout: "LEGENDWHANAU23"
Ki hea: Waipa MTB Park, Rotorua
Ā hea: 10-11 November 2023
Discount code: LEGENDWHANAU23
Kia kakama e te iwi!! Click the link to enter and to find out more information about this event.
Mana Whenua Academy
Building on the foundation and mahi of establishing a hub - including space for Tūhourangi-owned pakihi - in 2020, unveiling Pou Whenua in 2021, the marae for our Tūhourangi Whānau Day in 2022, Te Pūtake o Tawa is now the hub for our Mana Whenua Academy for 2023.
The Mana Whenua Academy is a kaupapa to strengthen Tūhourangi connections to our own whenua, with the use of mountain bikes.
The inaugural Mana Whenua Academy cohort had their first wānanga yesterday and will continue to meet regularly through September, October and November. This has been with the support of multiple Tūhourangi-owned businesses, Rotorua community collaborations and whānau expertise who have come together to bring a long-awaited vision to life.
Rangitihi Pene sharing whakapapa and historical kōrero about the area
There are over 160km of trails in the forest that shelters Tūhourangi and Ngāti Whakaue whenua, which entice and welcome thousands of manuhiri each month from Rotorua, across Aotearoa and around the world to ride and experience them. The Mana Whenua Academy looks to develop a pathway for more and more of the people enjoying the ngahere and tracks can trace their whakapapa to the whenua and feel comfortable out there.
If you’d like to learn more about the Mana Whenua or to support, please contact hana@tuhourangi.iwi.nz.
Our People: On the world stage
In the last two weeks we’ve celebrated a King of Crankworx Canada, in Tuhoto-Ariki Pene, and a BMX World Champion for 13-14 Boys, in Tarawhai Rikihana-Gray.
Tuhoto-Ariki originally started his competitive biking career in BMX with his siblings and whānau travelling across Aotearoa to various events. With national and world titles in his kete and a strong skills foundation fostered by BMX, Tuhoto-Ariki now competes in downhill mountain biking and has steadily made his mark in this sport as well. Koia kei a koe, e Tuhoto!
Tarawhai was one of 30 BMX athletes, and a wider cycling team from Aotearoa who travelled to Glasgow, Scotland to compete at the UCI Cycling World Championships. He competed against 49 other riders in his division to take out the gold. Auahi ana, e tama!
River Iwi Internship Programme 2023
This is a paid internship at $26.00 per hour.
Applicants must have the right to work in New Zealand and be available to work in Wellington (relocation at own cost) from 20 November 2023 - 9 February 2024.
Rā Katinga | Applications close: Sunday 13th August 2023 @ 5pm
Click here for more information and to apply
Te Manatū mo te Taiao are inviting uri from Waikato-Waipa to apply for an intern role from 20 November 2023 to 09 February 2024. Internships are offered annually to those registered, or whakapapa, to at least one of the following River Iwi as part of the Treaty of Waitangi settlement commitments with the Crown. Tūhourangi uri come under TARIT:
Te Arawa River Iwi (TARIT; one intern) Ngāti Tahu-Ngāti Whaoa, Ngāti Kearoa-Ngāti Tuarā, Tuhourangi-Ngāti Wāhiao
For internship queries email: Vacancy@mfe.govt.nz
For River Iwi registration queries contact: Te Arawa River Iwi Trust (TARIT) - admin@tarit.co.nz
Please Note: Iwi will make the intern selection and provide this information to MfE.
Ministry for the Environment Summer Internship, Nov23-Feb24
This is a paid internship at $26.00 per hour.
Applicants must have the right to work in New Zealand and be available to work in Wellington (relocation at own cost) from 20 November 2023 - 9 February 2024.
Rā Katinga | Applications close: Sunday 13th August 2023 @ 5pm
Click here for more information and to apply
Ministry for the Environment (MFE), Manatū mo te Taiao, have 12 intern opportunities in the following areas:
JEDI and Insights – Work with our team on the upcoming Our Land 2024 environmental report. Working alongside our team of scientists and mātauranga Māori experts, you will gain experience in a range of activities from research and analysis through to developing interactive geospatial Story Maps that resonate with the public.
Waste and Resource Efficiency - Support our work in chemicals management and biotechnology under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act and proposals to improve the regulations around genetic modification research and will be starting work on submissions analysis and policy options.
Partnerships and Public Affairs – Engagement Hub - This project focuses on better integrating our view of engagement across the Ministry and with Iwi.
Partnerships and Public Affairs – Digital Insights - You will be working across the team to support on several digital projects that support the way we work and deliver content on our digital channels.
Fresh Water Rights and Interests - National Māori Entity Establishment – Deliver mahi to help identify and address the rights, interests and obligations that iwi, hapū and Māori have in freshwater.
A range of opportunities across our Climate Directorate:
Climate Strategy - support the preparation of the second Emissions Reduction Plan. This work will require a core policy skillset and would ideally suit someone with an analytically focused degree.
Carbon Neutral Government Programme - Support key CNGP projects including research and support for policy advice on offsetting, and/or analysis of emissions data and emissions reduction plans as part of CNGP organisations annual reporting.
Emissions Insights and Reporting - The EIR team is seeking an intern to assist in the preparation of our annual Green House Gas (GHG) Inventory Methodological Improvements Report 2024 (due in Feb 2024) and assist with tasks associated with producing our GHG Inventory 2024.
Climate Impacts Team - Support the Climate Impacts team to develop plain language science communications. These communications will enable people to understand the issues we're facing, and the impacts of climate change such as floods, wildfires, droughts and sea-level rise by changing complex science terminology into short/understandable formats that will be usable for everyday New Zealanders.
Sustainable Finance/Rights & Interests - Support Sustainable Finance/Rights & Interests developing a Green Taxonomy for New Zealand. A green taxonomy is a tool for reorienting capital towards climate positive and environmentally sustainable economic activities, and to address greenwashing.
Emissions Trading Scheme – The ETS team is seeking an intern to support their work on the NZ's ETS which is a key tool for meeting our domestic and international climate change targets. This work will require a core policy skillset and would ideally suit someone with an analytically focused and economic/markets background.
Governance and Performance – The Governance and Performance team looks after oversight of all Climate projects and engagement. They are seeking an intern who wants to learn how large programmes of work are managed and help to implement good coordination practice and continuous improvement across the portfolio.
Our People: Jermayne Maika
Whakanuia tēnei uri nō te whānau Maika-Te Rangipuawhe, nō Ngāti Wahiao & Te Pakira. We got to catch up with Jermayne at the ahurei earlier in June to hear about what he’s been up to. Pānui mai…
Jermayne is currently a 2nd year House Officer, based at Dunedin Hospital in Ōtepoti and graduated as a Doctor, with a Bachelors of Medicine at the end of 2021. Jermayne has been in Ōtepoti since 2015, after he finished school the year before, and not with the original intention of studying medicine or becoming a doctor either. Instead, with aspirations to play professional sport and pursue other career pathways - Jermayne arrived in Ōtepoti without having the qualifications required to get into Medicine or the 1st year Health Science programme.
Mea rawa ake, he completed a bridging course to get university entrance, which flowed into completing the foundation course to get into the 1st year Health Sciences programme at Otago University.
“I couldn’t see myself wanting to do anything else”
The past 9 years on this pathway to becoming a doctor has meant a lot of sacrifices; from study time to being engulfed in mahi and providing a high standard of care for patients - so the mahi/non-mahi balance has been key. Jermayne has figured out a couple of different ways to keep balance though; with playing rugby, horse riding, and the occasional hunt and dive with uncles, his little brother and the bros.
Coming back home to Rotorua when he can is also part of keeping things in balance, so being able to come back for Te Ahurei o Tūhourangi was extra special. Performing with the whānau, chill-ngahau vibes, and knowing everyone out there can connect to what we were signing about - kāre he kupu.
Looking forward into the future, Jermayne wants to complete his initial training as a doctor and add some work experience to his kete which might take him overseas for a little bit. He’s also hinted that he wants to return to Rotorua with his mahi, and that you might even catch him at the noho and wānanga on the road to Matatini in upcoming campaigns…
Nei ngā mihi nui ki a koe Jermayne i tō para i tēnei huarahi i te ao Rata, rongoā me te whakarauora i te iwi. Nei tō iwi e whakanui ana, e tautoko ana i a koe!
He kōrero akiaki, some words of encouragement to whānau interested in studying at Otago:
There’s good support for Māori medical students, and a good crew of whānau/hapori Māori in Ōtepoti
The Dean of Otago Medical School is a wahine Māori, ko Dr. Jo Baxter nō Poutini Ngāi Tahu me Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō
Expect there to be a bit of culture shock and difference to what you’re used to in the North Island
Ōtepoti as a city is oriented around students - ko ngā rangatahi ngā rangatira ia te rā, ia te rā!
Bonus and probably most importantly…. the hunting and diving is second to none, I’ll show you the spots lol - from Jermayne himself, e te iwi!
Mana Whenua Academy
E te iwi nei rā he kaupapa ora mā tātou!!
We're excited to announce that in August 2023, we will be running the first intake of our Mana Whenua Mountain Bike Academy for Tūhourangi Taiohi.
Register your interest here.
The Mana Whenua MTB Academy 2023 intake is for:
- taiohi 5-12yrs old
- uri nō Tūhourangi
**REGISTRATIONS OF INTEREST CLOSE FRIDAY 21 JULY 2023** if you have any pātai please contact hana@tuhourangi.iwi.nz.
He taipitopito:
Tohu designed by Rauru Arts.
Academy will be facilitated by Te Whānau Pene, Hana and kaitautoko.
If you’d like to support, please get in touch.
Te Ahurei o Tūhourangi: Ngā Whakaahua
Click here to view the beautiful whakaahua of our whānau and kapa who showcased their Tūhourangitanga and represented their whānau, hapū and marae with beauty and pride at our recent ahurei.
Ngā kapa ka tū ki Te Ahurei o Tūhourangi
As we count down to the last two weeks before Te Ahurei o Tūhourangi 2023, we're excited to announce that ten kapa will take the stage at Te Rau Aroha. The kapa are comprised of four whakangahau kapa and six whakataetae (competitive) kapa, coming together to recite our waiata, retrace our whakapapa connections and celebrate our Tūhourangitanga through kapa haka. Auahi ana!
Ngā kapa whakangahau:
Ngā Ngārara o Hinepapa
Ngā uri a Pohiri rāua ko Kaihau
Te Whānau Ruha
Tūhourangi mai i Tarawera
Ngā kapa whakataetae:
Tūhourangi ki Ōtūkawa
Apumoana Marae
Te Papa Rere-ā-Rātōrua
Te Pākira
Te Whānau Makiha
Te Whānau Haira
Kapa whakataetae must perform all of the compulsory items, meanwhile whakangahau kapa must perform at least two (2) compulsory items of their choosing.
Preparations have picked up in previous months, thanks to Manuariki Tini who has taken up the wero (again) to lead the Ahurei organisation and coordinate the performance items, kapa teams and tutors, chase up t-shirt orders and so much more. Nei ngā mihi a te iwi ki a koe, aunty!
E rua ngā wiki e toe ana e te whānau!! TWO WEEKS TO GO! Kia kakama te whakaharatau, learn those words and get those actions on lock. Ka whakanuia te iwi a te Rātapu 11.06.2023.
A new Tūhourangi pharmacist in the making
Over the weekend, Pounamu Keepa (Tūhourangi, Ngāruahine, Te Aitanga a Māhaki, Ngāti Kahungunu) attended the Ngā Kaitiaki o Te Puna Rongoā o Aotearoa (Māori Pharmacists Association) Symposium here in Rotorua, at Ōwhata Marae.
This year marked the 20th birthday of this rōpū, set up to manaaki and support Māori students studying pharmacy at university as well as those who enter into the workforce as kaimahi in hapori around Aotearoa and the world.
Pounamu is in his 4th and final year of studying towards a Bachelor of Pharmacy at Otago University. Having Ngā Kaitiaki, as well as the Māori Students Association and Māori support programmes at Otago throughout his years of study have been instrumental in him navigating this haerenga and graduating at the end of this year. The free kai and tutoring from the Māori centre have been a big help too, according to Pounamu.
When he first entered into his studies, Pounamu was one of 6 Māori in the pharmacy programme compared to the 10-12 first year students in 2023. A testament to Ngā Kaitiaki, the support for Māori students at their universities, scholarships provided by iwi and other rōpū, Kia Ora Hauora and other initiatives encouraging Māori into healthcare pathways, and of course whānau encouragement and tautoko.
“We can make a difference for our people” is the driver for many Māori students as they embark on their studies, and Pounamu is no exception. He looks to finish strong in his final year, to graduate later on at the end of 2023, then take up an internship in February 2024.
E poho kererū ana tō iwi, e Pounamu!
Auahi ana!
Tūhourangi Tribal Authority AGM
In accordance with the Trust Order, current Trustees Kirikowhai Mikaere and Deliah Balle retire by rotation and are available for re-election for a further 3 – year term.
If there are more than two (2) nominations received, an election by ballot on 26th March 2023 for two Trustee positions will be held.
Persons interested in being nominated for these positions are invited to request and submit their nomination to:
Tūhourangi Tribal Authority (TTA)
P.O. BOX 6161
ROTORUA
or
admin@tuhourangi.iwi.nz
or
Txt 0272913002
Nominations Open: 18th February 2023
Nominations Close: 5pm 28th February 2023
Note: Valid Nominations require both Nominee and Nominators to be verified and registered TTA beneficiaries prior to receipt of the Nomination Form. Forms must be completed in full.
Nā,
TTA Trustees
Job Vacancy: Senior Kaupapa Māori Researcher
Applications close Friday 27 January 2023.
An exciting opportunity exists at Scion for a Kaupapa Māori Senior Researcher to join their dedicated team. This is an important role which will help to support the delivery in Scion's Forests and Landscapes Impact Area.
In this role, you will create pathways and identify new opportunities interfacing science and research with Māori-centred approaches that enable capacity, capability and leadership in ngahere ecosystem science.
You will be given opportunities to provide innovation and help determine priorities and initiatives that have regard for Te Tiriti o Waitangi. You will work alongside and build enduring relationships with whānau, hapū, iwi, clients and regulatory bodies.
Your knowledge and experience will be valuable in providing coaching and mentoring for our passionate early career scientists.
For more information and to apply, click here.
#OurPeople: Margaret Courtney and the role of the Māori Land Court
A highlight on Tūhourangi uri, Margaret Courtney, Masters of Laws and the role of the Māori Land Court in contemporary Aotearoa
The Māori Land Court of New Zealand has and continues to play a unique role within the justice system. Often referred to as the “people’s court,” the Māori Land Court functions to promote the retention of and appropriate use of Māori land.
There is, however, little research to understand the role that the Māori Land Court plays in modern Aotearoa New Zealand, something which has motivated Master of Laws student, Margaret Courtney, to pursue research in this area.
Courtney (Tūhourangi-Ngāti Wāhiao, Ngāti Whakaue, Tapuika, Ngāti Umutahi) completed a Bachelor of Laws and Masters of Indigenous Studies at Waikato University before completing her Master of Laws with the University of Otago in August of 2022.
“After completing my bachelors, I worked in Hamilton for Housing New Zealand and then for the Māori Land Court before moving home to Rotorua where I continued at the Waiariki Māori Land Court within the same role.
“I really enjoyed the work there. Not only are you helping whānau to work through a court process of whenua reclamation, but you wade through the Court records through generations making whakapapa connections that some never knew existed.
Eager to pursue further study, Margaret began research into how her own whenua had been impacted by the Native Land Court.
“I decided to do my Masters of Indigenous Studies on the Native Land Court, specific to whenua at Tarawera and the systems of how the once bigger Rotomahana Parekārangi block had been divided up and how my whānau became a very small owner. This was both an educational and personal journey for me.”
Today, part of this block of land is located within Te Wairoa Buried Village, a long-standing tourism operation. The village was created by excavation from the 1886 Mt. Tarawera eruption near Rotorua.
Courtney’s tupuna lived and worked at Te Wairoa prior to the 1886 devastation.
“I thought that’s where my learning would stop but then I wanted to get back into the legal way of thinking and writing, and so decided to pursue a Master of Laws.
Margaret’s research centres on the various roles of the Māori Land Court within the contemporary environment, drawing on publicly available material including transcripts and submissions to help determine the roles.
“My interest initially came from wondering why the Māori Land Court was referred to as the ‘people’s court’, then this morphed into questioning its place and role in the modern New Zealand legal system.
“At the beginning of writing my thesis I thought there were only three main functions of the court - adjudication, protection, and facilitation.
“Investigating these three descriptors in a historical and contemporary context found that historically, they were never in the interest of Māori. The protector role represented legislative protection and could be manipulated to enable alienation. The function did not protect cultural connection to the whenua, but rather ensured that there were fair dealings.
“The Native Land Court’s role was seen as paternalistic.
“Since the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, the meaning of those three roles has shifted to be somewhat in the interest of Māori.
“In contemporary time, the facilitator role is there to facilitate and assist Māori to develop, utilise, and occupy their land as well as facilitating discussion between whānau so they can come to resolutions by themselves.
“The promoter role was found to promote the retention of whenua, whakapapa links and the connection that Māori intrinsically have with their whenua and natural environment.”
Courtney’s research also looks at the perspective of landowners and trusts, digging through and drawing on information through submissions detailing experiences with the Māori Land Court.
“Although the role of the court from a landowner perspective is shaped by their experience of going to the court, there were still similarities between them. Many submissions detailed the importance of the protector role in bringing balance to minority landowners as most often the majority shareholder trumps.”
For Māori, going through mediation and the court process is often a long enduring task that most often systematically pits families, who are linked together by whakapapa, against one another.
“The individualisation of land is a real colonial concept to do with ownership. The Court system was imposed on us and now we are dealing with the ramification of it. Whānau now endure, in some cases, rigorous proceedings.
“Every generation, the shares get smaller and smaller. For some it won’t be worth much in terms of a monetary value but there is still the cultural connection to the whenua that our people seek as a method of reconnection to their identity and where they come from.
In the publication He Pou Herenga Justice Williams said the biggest challenge for the Court is the continued individualisation of titles. He states:613
“… the inevitable consequence of hyper-individualisation, which is the creation of tiny interests with little relevance in the lives of Māori landowners. It makes it hard for communities to maintain a meaningful connection. The nature of ownership system itself made moving forward in a Māori way always very difficult, because it was designed to achieve the opposite effect, of course.”
“The system was imposed on us, and we’ve had to live with it, which is why there needs to be a discussion about the role of the court and whether it continues to be that.
“It’s important that research is and continues to be conducted to uncover how it can continuously evolve into one with the aspirations of whānau at the heart of its design.
“There has been a raft of studies done over many years on Māori land tenure, but the Court still exists in the same format that it always has. There needs to be some type of disruption and innovation to see how best it can move forward if that is the wish of the people.
“The bigger question, therefore, is, can there be change and what a remodel would look like?”
Courtney refers to the work of Otago lecturer Mihiata Pirini (Tūwharetoa, Whakatōhea), who completed her thesis on the Māori Land Court in 2020 after the failed 2017 reforms. She considered a design process incorporating landowners’ participation and views of the court.
The judiciary have also held a long-standing view that empirical research should be undertaken to uncover if the Act is a barrier to Māori land development.
“So, between that design process and understanding the roles of the court, we then need political goodwill and necessary government resourcing to try make innovative change.”
Courtney wishes to acknowledge the support of her supervisors throughout her years at Otago University including Dr Paerau Warbrick, Professor Jacinta Ruru and Dr Bridgette Toy-Cronin.