November 07, 2023
Commission touts co-governance value
As a new Government forms from parties whose only shared policy is rejection of Māori co-governance, the Human Rights Commission has released a new resource explaining the link between human rights, te Tiriti o Waitangi and co-governance.
The commission’s indigenous rights co-governance partner, Claire Charters, says the New Zealand approach to co-governance adopted by previous governments aligns with countries like Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States, where governance and management is shared between the government and the Indigenous peoples.
She says done well, co-governance not only benefits Māori but opens opportunities for everyone to benefit.
Enabling Māori to manage issues and be involved in making decisions that affect Māori can help to address entrenched inequalities Māori experience across numerous areas, including health, justice, employment, housing, and income.
It also contributed to the swift and effective response of iwi, hapū, marae and Māori organisations in numerous emergency situations, including the Christchurch earthquakes, Covid-19 response and Cyclone Gabrielle.