#international: ARCTIC TO AOTEAROA: INDIGENOUS LAW EXPERT HEADS NORTH TO STUDY SÁMI GOVERNANCE

Dale Husband #international: ARCTIC TO AOTEAROA: INDIGENOUS LAW EXPERT HEADS NORTH TO STUDY SÁMI GOVERNANCE

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A leading Māori legal scholar is heading to the Arctic to study Indigenous governance systems, with the aim of bringing lessons home to support Māori political authority and constitutional transformation.

Professor Claire Charters, co-director of the Aotearoa New Zealand Centre for Indigenous Peoples and the Law at the University of Auckland, has been awarded a Borrin Foundation Travel and Learning Award to undertake research in Sápmi, the traditional homeland of the Sámi people spanning Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Her research will focus on the structure and function of Sámi parliaments, as well as the broader constitutional arrangements that recognise Sámi political rights within Nordic states. These institutions are widely regarded as among the most developed models of Indigenous governance in the world, operating alongside national governments while maintaining distinct cultural and political authority.

Charters is expected to examine how Sámi parliaments influence decision-making, engage with state systems, and assert Indigenous rights within constitutional frameworks. Particular attention will be given to how these bodies balance autonomy with collaboration, and how legal recognition translates into practical outcomes for Indigenous communities.

The research is seen as highly relevant to ongoing discussions in Aotearoa around Māori self-determination and constitutional reform, where questions of shared authority, tino rangatiratanga and the role of Te Tiriti o Waitangi remain central.

During her time in Sápmi, Charters will engage directly with Sámi parliamentarians, academic institutions and community leaders. The fieldwork is expected to include attendance at parliamentary sessions and meetings with key stakeholders, ensuring the research is grounded in lived experience and local perspectives.

A strong emphasis will be placed on collaboration and respect for Indigenous knowledge systems, with the intention of building relationships rather than simply observing institutional models.

The findings are expected to inform future legal and policy development in Aotearoa, particularly in relation to Māori governance structures and constitutional transformation. Charters aims to translate insights from the Sámi experience into practical recommendations that can support Māori aspirations for greater political authority.

Once completed, the research will be shared with Māori communities, policymakers and academic networks, contributing to a growing body of work exploring Indigenous-led governance solutions.

The project highlights increasing global connections between Indigenous peoples, as communities look to each other for models of self-determination and pathways toward more equitable political systems.

For Aotearoa, the journey to Sápmi represents not just academic research, but an opportunity to reimagine how Indigenous governance might evolve at home.

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