Knowledge Creation with Māori Indigenous Communities to Policy and Shaping Environmental Law Dr. Betsan Martin (RCE Waikato) 14th Asia-Pacific Regional RCE Meeting Session 2, 19 July, 2022

1. RCE Greater Gombak
Asia Pacific
19-21 July 2022
Knowledge Creation with
Māori Indigenous
Communities
to policy and shaping
environmental law
Betsan Martin, PhD. With Thompson
Hokiana, Ngāti Kahungunu
RCE Waikato Aotearoa New Zealand

2. University of All Blacks

3. Personal, Political and Epistemological Bridges
• Greetings
• The context for this presentation is the tremendous endeavour over nearly 2 centuries by
indigenous Māori to retain, or recover self determination. This can be seen pre-eminently in
the arena of the environment.
• My own position is with the National Māori Council. The primary purpose of the Council is to
achieve self governance, or self-determination for Māori people.
• I will mention an educational bridge – of Maori teaching government policy and law makers about the
framework they want for environmental law and resource management
• An epistemological bridge – an ethics of responsibility. A
multilane bridge:
• A relational ethic for interdependence, an ethic with accountability for public good and how resources are
used
• A bridge across indigenous, Māori aspirations and western approaches to ‘living well with the earth

4. Communi - University

5. A virtual Bridge – communities engaging with
new environmental law
Māori teaching Ministers and law-makers:
• About an integrated environment – based on a world view of a
woven universe.
• About decision-making coming from communities who know the
ecosystem context and this feed upwards to policy.