Aotearoa’s Western governance structure: a challenge to Te Kōpuka’s allyships

Te Awa Tupua (The Whanganui River Claims Settlement Act 2017), which granted legal personhood to the Whanganui River) is often discussed as a leading example of the Rights of Nature movement, which aims to grant rights to non-humans. Rather than discussing Te Awa Tupua in relation to Rights of Nature, this article offers new data on the relationships between Māori (Indigenous peoples of New Zealand), tauiwi (non-Indigenous person who has recently settled in New Zealand), and Pākehā (New Zealanders of predominantly European ancestry) stakeholders in Te Kōpuka nā te Awa Tupua (advisory body that works to uphold Te Awa Tupua; Te Kōpuka). I argue that these relationships are positive and based on collaboration because tauiwi and Pākehā stakeholders seem to grasp Māori values. However, Te Kōpuka’s mandate is challenging to achieve because of colonial and Western-minded government structures in New Zealand.