[3] During the 53rd New Zealand Parliamentary term (2020–2023), the Sixth Labour Government implemented several co-governance arrangements across several public service provisions including healthcare, water management and resource management including Māori wards and constituencies in local government, Te Aka Whai Ora (Māori Health Authority), the Natural and Built Environment Act 2023, and Three Waters reform programme.
[4][5] Following the 2023 New Zealand general election, the newly-formed National-led coalition government has announced that it would reverse several of Labour's public service co-governance policies including the Māori Health Authority.
[8][2] Former Attorney-General and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Chris Finlayson has likened co-governance to co-management, stating that "it is not an opportunity to micromanage the officials' work, but a chance to set priorities and to have a say in how to manage a resource."
Within a national framework, former Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand) Chair and ethical business advocate Rob Campbell has described the framing of co-governance as "sharing responsibility between Māori and [Pākehā]."
In 2007, the Crown signed a memorandum with the two local government councils and the Te Arawa Māori Trust Board to manage the water quality of the Lakes of Rotorua catchment area.
In addition, the Crown owns Māngere Mountain's land and part of Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill but the Authority administers the two sites for the purposes of the Reserves Act 1977.
[14] In 2015 Ngāi Tahu iwi, the Crown, and Canterbury Regional Council reached a formal co-governance arrangement to manage Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora and its surrounding catchment.
[5] During the 53rd New Zealand Parliament (2020–2023), the Sixth Labour Government introduced several co-governance policies and programmes, including entrenching Māori wards and constituencies in local government bodies, rolling out the Three Waters reform programme, creating a Māori Health Authority (Te Aka Whai Ora), and the Natural and Built Environment Act 2023 (as part of efforts to replace the Resource Management Act 1991).
[24][25] International examples of co-governance for indigenous peoples include Native American tribal sovereignty in the United States and Sámi parliaments in Finland, Norway, Sweden.
Labour has supported co-governance arrangements such as the Waikato River Authority, which it regarded as a model for its Three Waters reform programme,[5] and the expansion of Māori wards and constituencies in local government bodies.
The Greens have supported the Moana Fund's coastal restoration projects, which involves Māori iwi (sometimes described as "tribes") and hapū (sub-groups).
[clarification needed] In addition to existing resource management arrangements, Te Pati Māori has supported the extension of co-governance to other areas including education and healthcare.
These co-governance arrangements were established as part of Treaty of Waitangi settlements between the Crown and various iwi and hapū, with input from other parties including local governments, farmers, and businesses.
"[3] National has opposed the extension of co-governance arrangements into the public services such as the Three Waters reform programme, Te Aka Whai Ora, and Māori wards and councils.
[5] New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has opposed co-governance, contending that the concept has devolved from cooperation to so-called "racial privilege" and "ethnic elitism."
His remarks were described as offensive and inflammatory by Holocaust Centre of NZ spokesperson Ben Kepes and Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins.
[5] In late September 2023, Horizon Research published the results of a survey on how New Zealanders' voting choices were influenced by their views on co-governance, the Treaty of Waitangi, and racial harmony.