Te Tiriti Responsiveness Evaluation Framework

The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 between Māori – the Indigenous people of Aotearoa – and the Crown. Patterns of colonialism and imperialism followed and have continued to this day with lasting impacts.

The Crown has not always been a responsible partner or a good caregiver of the natural environment. Capitalist production, industrial growth and hyper-consumption have caused environmental risks and damage from microplastics, chemical pollutions and other human impacts on natural environments. These systemic causes of harm to the natural environment come from colonial and western worldviews that do not recognise the interconnectedness between all living things.

The conversations about microplastics connect with the rich and painful history of Aotearoa. Indigenous knowledge is essential for the work of regenerating local landscape systems to flourish and balance. Indigenous knowledge also encourages us to look at emerging local and global governance of the environment and the development of broader connected capacities for stewardship and kaitiakitanga.