Cross cultural mediation: guidelines for those who interface with iwi

Abstract

The principles of the Resource Management Act 1991 (the Act) require that the relationship of Maori to the natural world, their obligations as kaitiaki, and the Treaty of Waitangi / Te Tiriti o Waitangi have a fundamental place in resource management policy and decision making. Conflict may arise between cultures as attempts are made to observe these principles. Mediation provides one approach to resolving cross-cultural conflict. Blackford and Matunga (1991) developed process guidelines on ways to improve Maori effectiveness in environmental mediation. One of the recommendations arising out of that report was that guidelines were needed for those who are likely to interface with iwi in environmental mediation. This publication has been prepared in response to that recommendation. The objectives of the current research were: 1) To prepare guidelines on cross-cultural mediation for agencies and individuals who interface with iwi. 2) To work towards the development of methods/models of information exchange for cross-cultural mediation. The research approach involved: 1) Presenting the proposal to the National Maori Congress for guidance on a pan-tribal approach to the work. 2) Examining approaches used in North America and New Zealand on preparing handbooks for those involved in planning and resource management processes. 3) Using the findings from the mediation report (Blackford and Matunga, 1991) to prepare guidelines for those who interface with iwi. 4) Reviewing methods/models of presenting indigenous information in ways that can be understood by non-indigenous people. 5) Reviewing methods/models of presenting scientific information in ways that can be understood by non-experts. 6) Conferring with those involved in the Resource Management Project (directorate of the Ministry for the Environment) on insights gained into the information exchange problem area. 7) Providing guidelines for those involved in mediation to facilitate the exchange of information between cultural paradigms. The proposal was presented to a hui of executives of the National Maori Congress, who agreed that the establishment of guidelines would be helpful, and who expressed a wish to have input into the development of national guidelines.