Deena Coster (Te Atiawa) is a senior reporter at Stuff/Taranaki Daily News and is based in Ngāmotu.

OPINION: Selling the idea of ​​co-governance in a country still grappling with its colonial past is likely to be an uphill battle.

But it is a fight worth fighting to breathe true and lasting life into our founding document – ​​te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Co-governance – or the sharing of power between the Crown and Maori – is not new.

For instance, in 2010, a co-governance agreement came into effect regarding the Waikato River, with a council set up to govern the awa with shared representation from the Crown and the iwi.

A similar setup the protection of Taranaki’s largest taonga is also on the way.

Through months of hard work, ngā iwi o Taranaki will have a say with the Crown on how Taranaki Maunga and its national park will be managed, as part of a settlement to redress the confiscation of the mountain.

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The emphasis on the strength with which the Maori had to fight for the right to exercise some form of tino rangatiratanga on their ancestor deserves to be underlined.

Although it has been 182 years since te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed, the rights of tangata whenua are still not guaranteed.

Although not a new concept, there had been a buzz around co-governance lately, partly thanks to the Il Puapua documentwhich National and ACT say could create a breakaway state.

Recently, high-profile lobbyist Simon Lusk proposed a question to Parliament to turn into a petition, which could see a citizen-initiated referendum on co-governance.

And expect more politics too, with local elections fast approaching and as the nation prepares to go to the polls next year.

What co-governance means is interpreted differently, depending on who you ask.

Getting a clear definition of the term from Taranaki’s political leadership only underscored the breadth of views on the subject.

That’s part of the problem. Having such broad parameters is not helpful when trying to explain, and then possibly sell, a concept to people.

And it’s in places like Taranaki that the rubber will hit the road in terms of how day-to-day co-governance works.

But just because something confronts or challenges the status quo doesn’t mean change should be avoided.

If you read the Il Puapua report, which sets out what New Zealand could do to fulfill its commitments under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, you have to agree that it is bold.

It depicts an ambitious plan for how the country could build a constitution based on biculturalism.

It sets out a vision “where rangatiratanga is achieved, where Māori and the Crown have a harmonious and constructive relationship and work in partnership to restore and maintain the well-being of Papatūānuku, tangata and natural environments”.

Furthermore, it offers Maori a vision of “having the ability to exercise full authority” over their lands, waters and natural resources, to maintain their role as kaitiaki and to use indigenous solutions, supported by resources and support to do so.

Yes, self-determination can mean complete independence, and there are international examples of this, such as the Sami Parliament in Norway.

The passing of the Sámi Act in 1987 recognized them as one of the two peoples of Norway and provided guarantees for the development of their language and culture.

The Sami Parliament is another expression of this, with democratic elections organized by and among its people. The Business of Parliament deals with all matters relating to the Sami.

The principles of co-governance can also be expressed in many other ways, but the key point is that Maori are involved in shaping what these arrangements look like, and not just having their interests fixed at the end.

More than 10 years ago, the report of the Waitangi Tribunal Ko Aotearoa Tenei says: “unless it is admitted that New Zealand has two founding cultures, not just one; unless Maori culture and identity are valued in everything the government says and does; and unless they are welcomed into the very center of how we do things in this country, nothing will change.

It can sometimes feel like there is a level of acceptance of Maori inequality and inequity.

Any Kiwi who follows the news with even little interest is likely aware of Maori’s higher incarceration rates, their overrepresentation in health issues, and the fact that tangata whenua are more likely to die at younger ages than the Pakeha.

The government has already taken transformative measures to address pressing issues impacting the entire nation. They were not universally popular movements, nor made without protest from certain quarters, but pushed forward with the greater good in mind.

However, he had strayed from the vision Il Puapua provides, having already ruled it out as playing a role in politics.

But until something is done to create a constitutional model where Maori experience true partnership with the Crown on their terms, it’s no wonder they continue to feel like second-class citizens in their own country.

Deena Coster (Te Atiawa) is a senior reporter at Stuff/Taranaki Daily News and is based in Ngāmotu.