Chris Hipkins' co-governance test: Labour could lose Māori support if it backtracks on Three Waters

Wednesday, 22 March 2023

PM Chris Hipkins speaks from Waitangi.

The Labour Government has its largest-ever Māori caucus. But, as Glenn McConnell reports, there’s concern it could backtrack on promises to strengthen Treaty partnerships through co-governance.

The Labour Government is being urged to stick by co-governance policies, as Prime Minister Chris Hipkins continues his policy purge.

After appointing Kieran McAnulty as local government minister, Hipkins is expected to announce changes for the Three Waters reforms in the weeks ahead.

Dr Rawiri Taonui, an academic and adviser on public policy, said backing down on co-governance in water reform would be a major blow for progress on indigenous rights and Māori participation in public policy.

He said existing co-governance arrangements, from the Whanganui and Waikato rivers to Te Urewera and Auckland’s Tūpuna Maunga Authority, had improved the management of all these areas. Three Waters would be the next step, he said, to fix water infrastructure and improve the quality of freshwater – which had been mismanaged in many regions.

* Local Government Minister Kieran McAnulty to meet with mayors opposing Three Waters reform

* Cyclone Gabrielle: With taciturn authenticity Kieran McAnulty makes his mark

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins visited Orongomai Marae this week. He’s expected to announce an update to Three Waters policy soon.

“This builds off other successful co-governance arrangements,” he said.

“But the big problem with Three Waters is that the racism surrounding it has blinded people to the benefits of it.”

That “racism” came from Pākehā who were unwilling to embrace Te Tiriti-centred solutions, he said.

In discussions with iwi leaders and leading subject-matter experts from te ao Māori, Three Waters has often been raised as an area where Labour’s support from Māori could be tested if it waters down “co-governance” elements of the reform.

While challenges remain in other areas, the Government appears to have earnt some support for progress in the health and environmental management. But there’s concern from many that the Hipkins-led Government could back out of more radical or widespread reform, designed to bolster indigenous rights and mana motuhake.

Three Waters

Professor Sandy Morrison is the dean of the University of Waikato’s Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies.

The Three Waters reform, which seeks to amalgamate councils’ water management organisations, attracted vocal support and criticism for proposing a co-governance model.

Former local government minister Nanaia Mahuta proposed creating four water management organisations overseeing the entire country, with boards appointed by iwi and local government representatives.

But, in one of his first acts as prime minister, Chris Hipkins removed Mahuta from the local government portfolio.

McAnulty met with a coalition of anti-Three Waters mayors on Tuesday at the Beehive. Meanwhile, Stuff has been unable to find any iwi leaders who have had significant engagements with the minister.

Iwi leaders from across the country voiced disquiet at Mahuta’s reshuffle. During a meeting between ministers and the Iwi Chairs Forum in Waitangi, iwi leaders urged Hipkins to stay the course on Three Waters.

Professor Sandy Morrison, a scientist and the dean of Waikato University's Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies, said Māori had a practical interest in being at the table of these water entities.

”What saddens me is that co-governance has been touted as ‘Māori control’ when it’s about Māori participation, and active participation when it comes to land, water and the way we build these relationships,” she said.

Whānau Ora Minister and Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare.

“People have made judgments without having had a good look at this. Remember, this reform came about because of unsafe drinking water being given to people in Hawke’s Bay. Who wouldn’t want to fix that, and find a way to ensure community input into the way we use our water?”

Co-governance

Many iwi leaders and kaupapa Māori advocates hope co-governance arrangements will remain in the Three Waters proposal, as they see it as being a public show of support for greater partnership in other areas of Government.

Taonui said Three Waters had become the “centrepiece” policy for co-governance, which he defined as active participation in public policy. He said local and central government had gone through generations of failed policies, because decision makers have limited backgrounds and often short-term focuses.

“The problem has always been that mainstream and Pākehā-led solutions have never actually worked for Māori,” he said.

“Over the last 20 years there's been increasing calls for Māori to have a greater say over their own destinies… The question for Labour, and for the country, now is: Will we get Pākehā leadership over these initiatives, or will we get shared decision-making?”

Health

The creation of Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority, promised to ensure a permanent focus within Government on mending health inequity. The authority was first set up in September 2021, but Taonui said it was yet to have a notable impact on Māori healthcare.

It came about after a particularly heated relationship between Māori and the Ministry of Health, which faced major criticism over its handling of the pandemic. Iwi health providers and Whānau Ora agencies repeatedly hit out at the ministry, for failing to consult and imposing overly restrictive conditions on who should be eligible for vaccinations or testing.

But by the end of the pandemic response, Taonui, who was working on the pandemic response representing Māori, said the relationship had significantly improved. He said Cabinet ministers and officials eventually acknowledged that community-led responses had proven to be more effective.

“Some Māori broke the rules, adopting a kaupapa Māori approach and vaccinated whānau all together – instead of just people fitting certain age brackets… They ended up having far greater vaccination rates than the national average,” he said.

As Omicron arrived, Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare announced $140 million for Māori and Pasifika health providers.

Taonui said that was vital to achieve high vaccination rates, and came about after officials accepted a need for co-designed solutions.

Where to from here?

Morrison said Cyclone Gabrielle and January’s flooding had brought together equity, infrastructure and a climate crisis.

The flooding had, generally, had more severe impacts for poorer communities.

She said there had been a quick and effective community response from marae and iwi, filling the gaps with regional councils and central government. Co-management had worked in the emergency response, she said, and should continue during the rebuild as well.

Taonui said many iwi were also looking to co-design housing solutions with the Government, as rents increase – adding greater stress for whānau during the cost of living crisis.

But, as a question mark hangs over cornerstone policies such as Three Waters, seemingly due to its inclusion of “co-governance” policies, iwi and many Māori-led organisations are concerned about how reliable a partner the Government will be in the years ahead.