REPORT: How to talk about co-governance of our ...

Short guide: How to talk about co-governance of our bioheritage

July 2021

The Workshop. 2021. Short Guide: How to talk about co-governance of our bioheritage. BioHeritage Report. p. 54.

ABSTRACT

A short guide for communicators and advocates of environmental management and policy.

To protect our biological heritage together, requires decision makers to understand and recognise the strengths that mana whenua bring to this work – the values, knowledge and deep experience iwi and hapū have in environmental management – and to ensure mana whenua lead in the decisions that directly impact their communities and local environment.

People of the Treaty (tangata Tiriti) need to understand the importance and validity of mātauranga Māori, to see and discard the harmful narratives about co-governance and Māori and to know that co-governance and Tiriti-based partnerships that properly balance decision making will work for the benefit of the environment we all wish to protect.

Co-governance partnerships provide a way forward for tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti to work together to build the health of our land, air and waterways in order to achieve our shared aspirations and care for our environment. How we talk about co-governance is an opportunity to deepen understanding that decision makers and tangata Tiriti have and build support for these partnerships.