Waka Umanga: Has The Government Missed The Boat On Maori Collective Assets Management? Rethinking New Zealand Law For The Post-Settlement Era

Abstract

This thesis considers the New Zealand Law Commission's 2006 proposal for the establishment of a new Maori governance entity known as Waka Umanga, and the fifth Labour government's subsequent Waka Umanga Bill 2007. This thesis explores the range of issues faced by Maori in the management of their collective assets, and the problems associated with current governance entities. This thesis concludes that, if enacted, the Waka Umanga Bill would have made significant improvements to the ability of Maori to manage their collective assets.