Geoff Parker: He Puapua - Already in Motion

Evidence shows He Puapua is already in practice — quietly embedding ancestry-based distinctions across New Zealand’s institutions.

In the comments under my recent article “He Puapua and New Zealand 2040 - The End of Equal Citizenship”, several readers argued that He Puapua is not a distant aspiration but already being implemented across New Zealand’s institutions - quietly, incrementally, and without explicit public mandate. On close examination, they are correct: from councils to courts, professional boards to government agencies, the policies, laws, and practices outlined in He Puapua are already reshaping governance, citizenship, and the everyday operation of the state.

What follows is not conjecture or ideology. It is a factual inventory of laws passed, policies enacted, governance structures created, and practices normalised in recent times that align with the direction outlined in He Puapua. These developments have occurred under governments of different political stripes and often without explicit public mandate.

It is important to be clear about causation. Not every policy or institution outlined below originated in He Puapua itself. Some pre-date the report, arise from Treaty settlement legislation, or emerged from earlier reform and consultation processes — including developments such as Auckland’s Independent Māori Statutory Board, established during the 2010 local government amalgamation.

What unites these measures is not their point of origin, but their direction of travel. Taken together, they normalise ancestry-based governance, parallel institutions, and differentiated citizenship — the constitutional destination that He Puapua makes explicit, legitimises, and seeks to complete.

This list is not exhaustive, nor is it presented in any particular order.

Local Government and Political Representation

Māori Wards
In 2004, only one council - the Bay of Plenty Regional Council - had a Māori ward. As of 2025, 18 councils operate Māori wards or constituencies, enabled by legislative changes to the Local Electoral Act that altered how referenda apply to Māori representation.

Unelected Iwi Representation on Councils
The Canterbury Regional Council (Ngāi Tahu Representation) Act 2022 allows Ngāi Tahu to appoint members to Environment Canterbury with the same voting rights as elected councillors, setting a statutory precedent for iwi appointment rather than election.

Independent Māori Statutory Boards
Bodies such as Auckland’s Independent Māori Statutory Board are legislated to represent Māori interests at council governance level, with formal access to decision-making and council resources.

Māori Advisory Boards or Committees
Many councils have Māori advisory boards or committees that, while advisory in name, are embedded in governance through mandated consultation, dedicated funding, and privileged access to policy development - a status not extended to other ethnic or community groups.

Council Meetings Held on Marae
Some councils hold formal meetings, workshops, or strategic sessions on marae. While framed as cultural engagement, this places civic decision-making in a culturally non-neutral environment, governed by tikanga that is not shared by all citizens.

Health, Justice and Social Services

Iwi-Māori Health Partnership Boards
IMPBs are a visible expression of tino rangatiratanga and reflect Te Tiriti partnership in practice, ensuring Māori voices influence decisions affecting Māori health.

Māori Justice Panels and Iwi-Led Diversion
Māori justice panels and iwi-led initiatives operate alongside the formal court system, often diverting Māori offenders from standard judicial processes. Police policy formally recognises these pathways.

Māori Policing Governance
The Police Commissioner established a Māori Focus Forum, which goes beyond advisory input to co-design policing strategies affecting Māori communities.

Government Agencies in Iwi-Owned Buildings
Government entities and local councils increasingly lease or operate from buildings owned by iwi, including service centres and, in at least one reported case, a police facility in Cambridge (Waikato). These arrangements embed public services within tribal infrastructure, creating ongoing structural and relational dependencies.

Law, Tikanga and the Courts

Increasing Use of Tikanga Māori
Tikanga Māori has been progressively incorporated into court reasoning, following Supreme Court guidance affirming tikanga as part of New Zealand’s common law framework.

Separate Justice Outcomes
Māori offenders may face different processes and outcomes through cultural reports, iwi panels, or alternative resolutions unavailable to non-Māori defendants.

Land, Water and Natural Resources

Foreshore, Seabed and Freshwater Claims
The repeal of the Foreshore and Seabed Act (2011) opened the coasts to 580 tribal claims; at least six claims have passed so far, with at least three awaiting judgement. Customary Marine Title grants successful claimants significant control over their area.

Legal Personhood of Natural Features
Te Urewera (2014), the Whanganui River (2017), and Taranaki Maunga (2025) have been granted legal personality, embedding Māori worldviews into environmental governance through co-appointed guardians.

Co-Governance of Parks, Lakes and Reserves
Treaty settlements have established co-governance across conservation land, rivers, and lakes, including statutory authorities such as the Waikato River Authority.

Greenstone (Pounamu)
Under Ngāi Tahu settlement legislation, all naturally occurring pounamu in the South Island is owned by Ngāi Tahu, with exclusive rights to management and commercial use.

 Protected Conservation Land

In October 2025, Ngātiwai representatives landed on the Poor Knights Islands — one of New Zealand’s most strictly protected marine reserves — and erected a carved pou. Public landings on the islands are normally prohibited.

The Department of Conservation was reportedly aware of the plan and did not intervene. After public complaints, the pou was removed, and DOC confirmed it would not prosecute.

Land Use, Rating and Property

Māori Land Rating Relief
The Local Government (Rating of Whenua Māori) Amendment Act 2021 changed how Māori freehold land is treated for rating purposes, allowing councils to:

• treat unused Māori land, including land under Ngā Whenua Rāhui covenants, as non‑rateable, meaning no new rates are charged on such land;

• write off outstanding rate arrears on Māori freehold land that becomes non‑rateable;

• utilise expanded remission and rates‑remission processes that reduce the incidence or burden of rates on Māori land under development;

These provisions are specific to Māori freehold land contexts and go beyond ordinary rating processes available to other landowners.

Sites of Significance
Land designated as significant to Māori may face planning and use restrictions through district plans and heritage overlays.

Selective Enforcement of Occupation Law
In cases such as Ihumātao and land on the banks of the Taipa River, illegal occupation associated with Māori protest has been met with state tolerance, in contrast to non-Māori cases.

Culture, Language and Public Space

Official Bilingualism by Practice
Dual-language signage, government buildings, correspondence, passports, and official branding routinely prioritise te reo Māori.

Renaming of Places
Many English place names have been officially changed or replaced with Māori names, often without local referenda.

Carved Pou, Gateways and Symbolism
Carved pou line highways, public spaces, and school entrances nationwide, embedding cultural markers into civic infrastructure.

Government Use of Māori Salutations
State agencies increasingly open correspondence, meetings, and official events with Māori greetings, salutations, and Maori prayers (karakia) . Major state projects and public infrastructure are also routinely opened or commissioned with Māori blessings.

Māori Flags on Government Buildings
Māori flags are regularly flown on public buildings alongside the national flag.

Education, Media and Funding

Treaty-based Education Policy

Education policy and curriculum frameworks in New Zealand require recognition of the Treaty of Waitangi and Aotearoa’s bicultural foundations, including opportunities for students to acquire knowledge of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori. Professional teacher standards and strategy documents such as Ka Hikitia further emphasise Te Tiriti and cultural competence in teacher education and practice.

Māori Language Funding
Significant, ring-fenced funding supports Māori language revitalisation across broadcasting, education, and public service training.

$80 Million Māori Media Strategy
The government allocated approximately $80 million to Māori media initiatives, explicitly aimed at strengthening Māori narratives and platforms.

Scholarships and Targeted Funding
Students with Māori or Pasifika heritage may access both targeted and general scholarships; non-Māori cannot access the targeted funds.

Marae Infrastructure Funding
Over $438 million of taxpayer funding has been allocated to upgrade privately owned marae - 510 projects across 358 marae - drawn from multiple Crown funding streams, including Covid-19 funds.

Government Funding of Tribal Enterprises

Significant public funding has been directed to iwi and tribal enterprises through grants, partnerships, and development programmes. While often justified as economic development, this funding establishes ongoing Crown–iwi relationships and aligns tribal enterprise activities with government priorities, creating structural connections that go beyond ordinary stakeholder consultation.

Professional Licensing and Cultural Competency

Professional regulatory and educational bodies now require practitioners and students to undertake compulsory training in Māori culture, tikanga, and the Treaty of Waitangi as part of degree requirements or ongoing professional registration.

Law Students
From 2025, law students in New Zealand must complete a stand-alone course in tikanga Māori as part of the LLB degree, with tikanga content integrated across core law subjects.

Nurses
The Nursing Council of New Zealand requires that nursing programmes embed Te Tiriti o Waitangi, cultural safety, and Māori health into training, and that registered nurses demonstrate culturally safe practice as part of professional registration.

Real Estate Agents
The Real Estate Agents Authority mandates the Te Kākano course on Māori culture, tikanga, and the Treaty of Waitangi. Failure to complete the course can result in licence cancellation.

Pharmacists
The Pharmacy Council of New Zealand integrates Te Tiriti obligations and cultural safety into competence standards. Registered pharmacists must demonstrate understanding and application of culturally safe practice, including Māori health models.

These measures embed Māori cultural obligations into professional practice across multiple fields - obligations that were not previously part of licensure or degree requirements - reflecting a broader trend of policy alignment with the institutional and constitutional direction articulated in He Puapua.

Communications, Spectrum and Infrastructure

Broadcast Spectrum Allocation
Dedicated radio spectrum has been reserved for Māori broadcasting.

Dual-Language Road Signage
Increasing bilingual signage has been implemented through NZTA policy rather than public vote.

Department of Conservation Incentives
DOC staff have been offered $3,500 payments to attend Māori language courses, funded by taxpayers.

Security and Enforcement

Iwi-Linked Roadblocks
Legislation and emergency powers have enabled iwi-run road checkpoints, a power not available to other groups.

Tribal Security Officers
Iwi-linked officers now operate in areas such as biosecurity and environmental enforcement, exercising quasi-official authority in partnership with the state.

 Differential Treatment of Protest

In recent times, Māori protest marches have been permitted to cross the Auckland Harbour Bridge, causing major disruption. By contrast, authorities declined permission for a proposed ‘New Zealand’ march organised by Brian Tamaki, citing safety concerns.

The contrasting decisions have reinforced public concern that protest rules are applied inconsistently, depending on identity and cause.

Conclusion

None of these developments, taken individually, amounts to constitutional transformation. Taken together, however, they reveal a clear trajectory towards the outcomes envisaged in He Puapua 2040: the steady embedding of ancestry-based distinction into law, governance, and public administration.

This is not a debate about culture, language, or history. It is a debate about citizenship, equality before the law, and whether New Zealand is drifting - without explicit consent — toward a system in which rights, influence, and legal treatment increasingly depend on ancestry.

 He Puapua 2040 does not invent this direction - it articulates it, legitimises it, and seeks to complete it. New Zealanders must, en masse, wake up, speak up, and decide whether this is the future they consent to.

Geoff Parker is a long-standing advocate for truth, equal rights, and equality before the law.