Land-cover choices and governance structures: lessons from Māori

• Main Author: Sandra Cortes-Acosta
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified; Econometric and Statistical Methods; Te Ture Whenua (Maori Land Law); Māori land governance structures; Māori freehold land; Land-cover choices; Land-cover shares; Land-cover transitions; greenhouse gas emissions; Aotearoa New Zealand; Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993; land utilisation; School: School of Geography; Environment and Earth Sciences; Unit: Antarctic Research Centre; 059999 Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified; 140302 Econometric and Statistical Methods; 180204 Te Ture Whenua (Māori Land Law); 960999 Land and Water Management of environments not elsewhere classified; Degree Discipline: Economics; Degree Discipline: Environmental Studies; Degree Discipline: Law; Degree Discipline: History; Degree Discipline: Geography; Degree Level: Doctoral; Degree Name: Doctor of Philosophy; Antarctic; New Zealand; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.26686/wgtn.17148284.v1; https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/Land-cover_choices_and_governance_structures_lessons_from_M_ori/17148284

Decisions on land utilisation and management have socio-economic and environmental implications. In this study, I use a mixed-methods approach to explore how Māori land governance structures influence decisions on land utilisation and hence greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with rural activities on Māori freehold land. General land and Māori freehold land are the main land statuses in Aotearoa New Zealand. General land, under private ownership, is not subject to the distinct statutory regime of Māori freehold land and can be owned by any New Zealander. Māori freehold, under collective ‘ownership’, is regulated by the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 (TTWM) and its ‘ownership’ is based on a customary regime and ancestral connections. The TTWM provides a range of legal entities, including the two Māori land governance structures examined in this thesis – Māori incorporations and Ahu Whenua trusts – to facilitate decision-making and to administer land and assets on behalf of the ‘owners’. First, I explore how Māori land governance structures influence decisions on land utilisation and management. I discuss three case studies of Māori farms administered by different governance structures involved in agribusiness. Their decision-making process structure can be separated into two levels: the governance of the land and the operation of the enterprise. Maori land governance structures help to make ‘successful’ decisions, by balancing landowners’ interests with optimal operation and performance of the agribusiness. This success not only depends on the legal constitution of the governance structure, but also on processes that are highly variable due to cultural and social values, and the capability of the board members to reach decisions. Second, I explore decision-making processes concerning carbon farming, an opportunity to receive carbon credits from reforestation or afforestation. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews with a small group of Māori landowners revealed two central decisions: switching to forestry ...