Explaining variability in cultural impact assessment outcomes: insights from Aotearoa New Zealand

Cultural impact assessments (CIA) are a mechanism for Māori to influence environmental planning and decision-making in Aotearoa New Zealand. They enable Māori to assess the impacts of proposed developments on their rights, values and interests. However, Māori lived experiences demonstrate CIA outcomes are highly variable, and not reliable or predictable. The spectrum ranges from no response to a CIA to a substantial influence on decision-making. Understanding the reasons for variability is critical to evaluating CIA effectiveness and improving outcomes for Māori communities. In this article, we identify what appear to be the foremost factors that influence CIA outcomes and their relative importance. Drawing on the lived experiences of 27 practitioners and knowledge holders, we explore how the dynamics between factors produce processes that are battlegrounds, transactional or transformational. Understanding these dynamics can improve CIA outcomes through knowing where to focus attention and effort. The research contributes to international efforts to develop Indigenous IA processes and practices, and maximise the potential for success. There is much work to be done to realise the potential of Indigenous IA, and this systematic analysis offers important insights for moving forward.