“By Māori, with Māori, for Māori” – Debunking Fears about Kaupapa Māori Approaches to Governance

Nā Aria Ngarimu (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, Rongomaiwāhine, Te Whānau-ā-Apanui)

If you’ve encountered critical theory in your studies, you may already be familiar with Kaupapa Māori theory. It emerged from the global series of sociopolitical movements that sought to address systemic racism against Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) and offers a framework where Māori knowledge, identity and leadership are placed at the centre. In recent years, research grounded in Kaupapa Māori theory has significantly increased to the point where it holds influence over Aotearoa New Zealand’s legislation, policy and regulation.

We’ve all heard the apartheid comments...

‘By Māori, with Māori, for Māori’? What about me? Is this apartheid?

Let’s be clear. Apartheid is a system of state-sanctioned racial segregation designed to strip rights away from people based on their ethnic background. Kaupapa Māori theory does not deprive non-Māori of their rights; it seeks to ensure Māori retain theirs.

Māori experience disproportionate overrepresentation in nearly every negative socioeconomic indicator. We all know this. The purpose of a by-Māori, with-Māori, for-Māori approach is to empower Māori-led solutions to the issues facing Māori communities, precisely because externally imposed solutions have so often failed. We only need to look at the data to see the impacts of this systemic racism.

If that sounds confronting, let’s pause and take a step back.

‘Māori’ can mean ‘normal’ or ‘ordinary’. Before colonisation, Māori didn’t really identify as ‘Māori’; their identity came from tūpuna (ancestors), whakapapa (genealogy), iwi and hapū affiliations, and tohu (features of the land such as maunga, awa, moana etc). The word ‘Māori’ was used to distinguish people from the supernatural or the unfamiliar. After the arrival of Pākehā, the word took on a different function as the government sought to

assimilate and disestablish the sociopolitical governance structures of the time. While many lost their connections to their identity associated with tūpuna, iwi, hapū, and tohu, carrying whakapapa Māori and therefore being Māori, offers solidarity, unity and belonging in a system that has long marginalised and sought to erase these identities.

Kaupapa Māori theory works in a similar way. It’s not about exclusion; it’s about restoring space for Māori thinking, values and leadership in places where they were systematically pushed out. It’s about Māori leading solutions to Māori issues around systems where those voices have been ignored or marginalised. Think about the public health system – Māori are extremely overrepresented in negative health outcomes. Te Aka Whaiora, the Māori Health Authority offered an opportunity to deliver culturally appropriate health services to Māori people. Yet it was disestablished, a casualty of the growing anti-Kaupapa Māori theory rhetoric. Imagine the lives that would be saved and dignities restored if Māori were receiving effective healthcare – not to mention taxpayer dollars. When Māori lead solutions for Māori, the benefits flow to everyone.

So, is this apartheid? No. Apartheid entrenched oppression. Kaupapa Māori theory seeks to undo it.

When Māori thrive, we all thrive. A by-Māori, with-Māori, for-Māori approach isn’t about taking something away from others, it’s about restoring what was taken from Māori. Once we learn to see it that way, these conversations will lift out of fear and become a collaborative discussion about what we can achieve together.