Māori political and economic recognition in a diverse economy

Abstract

The relationship between Māori and the state in Aotearoa/New Zealand has been radically reshaped in the past 20 years. In some respects, Māori tribal (iwi) enterprises now have more recognition from the Crown, primarily as economic actors, and more access to decision-making power than they have had since the 1820s, when iwi had complete tino rangatiratanga (sovereignty) in Aotearoa/New Zealand. In particular, many iwi enterprises that have completed Treaty of Waitangi settlements1 and have re-established a strong economic base are receiving greater recognition from Crown agencies. The Māori Party, formed in 2004, has been instrumental in assisting the Iwi Chairs’ Forum (a national grouping of the leaders of tribal enterprises) access ministers and key policymakers, symbolic of the manner in which economic recognition has also led to forms of political recognition.