Accountability to whom/what?
As part of the discussion of context (for instance,
for tikanga Māori) the responsibility to whom
must be considered. The different relationships
within whānau, hapū, iwi, rūnanga, marae,
trusts and confederations will affect how tikanga
Māori should be applied. In most matters, those
different groups will all apply a longer-term rather
than shorter-term lens to accountabilities and
responsibilities that is to the long-term health
of the environment and to future generations.
Accountability may be to whenua as identity and
whakapapa, whenua not being conceived as a
commodity.
In the context of Te Tiriti, accountability is likely
to be perceived by Māori as an obligation the
Kāwanatanga wrote into the provisions of Article 2,
which in turn may be enacted by the Kāwana but
preferably by Māori enabling tino rangatiratanga.
However, in considering Te Ao Māori view, the
accountability for enacting tikanga Māori is to
Māori as the first priority. In the Matike Mai
Aotearoa report, the authors describe tikanga
in conjunction with the nature of relationships,
providing a detailed analysis of key values,
including the value of tikanga.52 Helpfully, the
report notes that values-based tikanga could
also be the means to deal with Kāwanatanga/
Rangatiratanga to resolve differences and
conflicts,53 indicating that the interface between
Rangatiratanga and Kāwanatanga is the
appropriate territory for resolution by tikanga
Māori. Again, considering to whom accountability
is directed, the relationship between the
Kāwanatanga and iwi institutions is the sphere in
which accountability can be addressed.
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