Abstract
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.
Key policy highlights:
• Build Indigenous Capacity: Prioritise resources, training, and support for communities to lead their own impact assessments.
• Balance Power Dynamics: Address power imbalances by ensuring Indigenous control over their own impact assessment processes, including scope and timing.
• Foster Cultural Competency: Implement cultural competency training to respect Indigenous rights and knowledge and support meaningful implementation of Indigenous-led impact assessments.
• Institute Reforms: In the case of Aotearoa New Zealand, align the CIA process with the Treaty of Waitangi, using current law reform to empower Māori with mechanisms to influence decisions impacting them.