Lessons from New Zealand: towards a better working relationship between Indigenous peoples and the state

This paper examines the ways in which Maori are recognised through New Zealand’s legal and political institutions, and draws lessons that are applicable to the complex challenge of Indigenous constitutional recognition in Australia. It argues that Indigenous recognition can occur through constitutional reform, but also through institutional and legislative reform: recognition could be a package of constitutional and other reforms. The New Zealand example demonstrates that Indigenous recognition seeks to address the functional, working relationship between Indigenous peoples and the state, to make it fairer than it has been in the past. It shows that Indigenous recognition can and should be practical and ongoing, rather than purely symbolic and static.