Now to explain co-governance

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins might be about to take on the mantle of explaining what co-governance means to his Government, and the extent to which it wants to see partnership arrangements with iwi/Maori for the management of natural resources and elsewhere at central and local government level.

Yesterday he denied that their new water reform plan and the previous iterations of Three Waters policies involved co-governance.

He will argue that governance of the water services entities (whether four or now 10) is by a professional board; however, these boards will be appointed by and accountable to regional groups comprised of council and mana whenua representatives on a 50/50 basis.

Hipkins will also be arguing against many statements of Labour Ministers and MPs defending and extolling the co-governance aspects of Three Waters; and the relief of iwi that the Government has retained co-governance in the new plan.

It has been one of the most serious indictments on this Government that it has not had a senior Minister making the case clearly and repeatedly for such an important constitutional development — with repercussions for race relations in this country, as it has allowed the vacuum to be filled by the views of others.

Criticising it for this a year ago, NZ Herald senior political correspondent Audrey Young pointed out that for three decades now, Governments have had senior Ministers explaining through speeches, interviews and articles how Treaty of Waitangi policy is evolving. “There are no such voices in the current Government.”

On Newshub’s The Hui on Monday Hipkins said talking to many people they didn’t really understand what the water infrastructure changes being proposed were — “they’ve just heard the sort of dog-whistle racism that’s associated with it”.

The Prime Minister has been busy until now slashing the Government’s transformational agenda, but over Waitangi Weekend he urged people to calm down over co-governance and Maori rights. He also said he liked the phrase “mahitahi” or working together, then added that wasn’t an indication he planned to ditch the term co-governance.

Hipkins later told RNZ: “I find just talking about co-governance as a very broad concept isn’t that fruitful, because it doesn’t mean a lot to people unless it’s attached to a particular concept.”

He now needs to talk a lot more about co-governance, however he wants to frame it. Will he?