Abstract
Over the past 160 years, intensive agriculture, wai engineering, and resource diversions have adversely impacted wai māori in Aotearoa. These changes have disrupted rangatiratanga and kaitiakitanga for Māori and awa. While recent policies, such as Te Mana o te Wai, aimed to restore balance by mandating councils to adhere to the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management, Māori perspectives have historically been marginalised in governance and monitoring of wai māori. As Treaty partners, Māori maintain whakawhanaungatanga to their whenua, ensuring sustainable wai practices through te ao Māori. However, colonisation and intergenerational trauma have severed this relationship, contributing to the degradation of mana and mauri in wai māori. Māori are sceptical and hesitant to be governed by central entities that often ignore and/or neglect the connection of te ao Māori, forming blanket policies that do not effectively tackle the fundamental causes of the problem, especially regarding arawai across Aotearoa. Wai, in its purest form, has degraded, harming tangata whenua in the process. This research examines these challenges by: (1) assessing the quality and regulation of wai māori in Aotearoa, (2) exploring Māori perceptions of awa and their role in governance, and (3) evaluating whether current policies align with Te Tiriti o Waitangi, te ao Māori, and Te Mana o te Wai. Using a mixed-method approach, this study integrates qualitative interviews on wai management with quantitative analysis of collected and historical wai samples. By focusing on wai māori in the Manawatū headwaters, the research highlights the intersection of data and Māori perspectives. Findings reveal that existing policies provide insufficient avenues for Māori to exercise rangatiratanga over their wai, underscoring the need for greater Indigenous integration in wai māori governance.