This is a summary of our research into environmental governance arrangements in Aotearoa New Zealand to identify enabling conditions (or pou) to support EBM.
Rather than advocating a ‘perfect model’ of governance for ecosystem-based management (EBM), we find potential in existing innovative arrangements in Aotearoa New Zealand – which increasingly uphold Māori worldviews, knowledges, and values – to support EBM as a strategic approach to managing marine environments.
We identified four pou based on our analysis of seven examples across a range of scales and environmental domain.
These pou are:
Our findings suggest that strengthening these pou could enhance governance for EBM by promoting collaborative, inclusive institutional arrangements capable of upholding Māori worldviews, knowledge, and values while being responsive to social-ecological complexity. These changes are already occurring; therefore, focusing on how to support these changes ought to be a priority.
