As the
20th century drew to a close, we began writing a new chapter in the history of
Aotearoa. In 2004, Mäori have greater control over resource management and
decision making than at any time in our colonial past. Treaty settlements, iwi
ventures and partnerships with government have been used to bring the Mäori
economy into the marketplace of the modern world, the global economy.
However,
the global economy, and humanity in general, is now facing enormous challenges
due to resource depletion and environmental degradation. Forestry, fishery
and agriculture account
for $1 billion of the $1.9 billion Mäori economy annually (NZIER, 2003). But
these industries are greatly at risk from threats such as global climate change,
seasonal algal blooms and unsustainable resource use. Also, the cost of
environmental protection inevitably falls on the consumer. Future increases in
the cost of living can be expected. In general, Mäori are at the lower end of
the socio-economic scale, and will feel the pinch first.
Past
failures in resource management have resulted in events such as the extinction
of the moa or the numerous oil crises of the past 40 years. In spite of these
failures, or perhaps because of them, Western science now agrees with Tikanga Mäori
in saying that future economic development should be sustainable. Sustainability
of resources means ensuring these are used to meet our present requirements
without compromising the requirements of future generations.
Beginning
with Te Tiriti o Waitangi (1840), a number of documents have provided a
framework for cooperative management (between iwi and the New Zealand
government) of the resources of Aotearoa. The Resource Management Act (1991)
introduced concepts such as kaitiakitanga to Pakeha decision makers. The Local
Government Act (2002) attempted to embed the principles of Te Tiriti in regional
and local planning practices. But Tikanga Mäori or iwi consultation are still
treated as an inconvenient and expensive afterthought by many architects,
planners, engineers and scientists. This is despite the fact that Aotearoa is
the cradle of Mäori civilisation, and that the mana whenua of iwi predates all
of the above legislation by some 900 years.
This
paper attempts to give a brief overview of Western and Mäori concepts for
sustainable development and resource management. The Mauri model for
decision-making presented by Kepa Morgan (2004) to the New Zealand Society for
Sustainability Engineering and Science will be referred to extensively. Several
case studies where projects have incorporated Western science and Tikanga Mäori
will be analysed. Finally, the following priorities for sustainable development
of Mäori resources will be suggested: