Analysis of Treaty of Waitangi Application in Business

This report analyses the application of the Treaty of Waitangi in a local business setting, its relevance and importance in business, and the impact of its principles. The report also provides examples of the TOW principles inclusion and considerations in the case study.

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Analysis of Treaty of Waitangi Application in Business
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Institution
Date

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Analysis of Treaty of Waitangi Application in Business
During the reign of England, there are many injustices that were done to people in
different countries. New Zealand is one of the countries that were colonized. After a long reign,
the treaty of Waitangi was signed. In essence, the Treaty is a piece of document that acted as an
agreement between the Crown and the Maori Tribes leaders’ representative in 1840 (Human
Resource Institute of New Zealand, 2015). In other words, TOW is a covenant between Maori
people and the crown. TOW is one of the important documents that have ever been prepared in
the history of New Zealand due to its business implications as well as its significance to the
wellbeing of the Maori tribes in New Zealand. The treaty has a number of regulations regarding
business operations and employment. The most significant aspect of the treaty is that it
advocated for the protection of Maori rights in terms of acknowledging the Maori tribe’s rights
and the ownership of Maori land and the protection of their lifestyle (New Zealand Immigration,
2017). It was established that the government should ensure that all the needs of Maori are
addressed and also take back whatever they took from Maori people as a way of restoring faith.
The government is held responsible for handling the grievances of the indigenous people and
should foster equity among the New Zealanders (New Zealand Immigration, 2017). Considering
these facts, it is apparent that the treaty has a significant impact on the New Zealanders life in
various ways such as their way of living and how they conduct their businesses. The purpose of
this report is to analyse the application of the Waitangi Treaty in a local business setting.
The Case Study Context
In the spirit of honouring the treaty, the Rotorua lakefront development project
incorporated some cultural concepts. According to Sparks (2018), it is noted that the main design
principle of the lakefront boardwalk is to present the people's stories and their unique cultural

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identity in a renowned environment that matches international standards. The development
concepts centres on the cultural experiences of the Maori people. The project can be considered
as one of those that acknowledge the existence of the treaty since specific guidelines were laid
down that advocate for community engagement and cultural design concepts. The engagement
process in the project involves the Ngati Whakaue, the iwi who have ownership of the Rotorua
lakefront (Dyall et al., 2014). The Te Arawa Lakes Trust and Pukeroa Oruawhata will also be
directly engaged (Boast, 2006). The guiding principles of the project are values for the treaty and
value to Maori. The development strictly follows these principles which is one of the ways to
show respect to the Maori people and honouring the Treaty. The case study is an example that
shows the significance of the treaty to the people and to the business world in general especially
on matters regarding corporate social responsibility.
Relevance and Importance of Treaty of Waitangi Principles (400)
The Treaty of Waitangi has three main principles that are relevant in business and other
sectors when applied effectively. In essence, the treaty principles act as a moral framework for
the implementation of the policies. According to Murton (2012), people should be aware of the
Tikanga regarding Maori people and that which applies to the iwi and rohe the places in which
people work. The principles show the importance of recognising the language variations of the
New Zealanders and the differences in Tikanga and Takiwa. The Treaty is guided by three
primary principles: partnership, participation, and protection. Partnership refers to the spirit of
working together with the tribe, sub-tribe and the Maori communities to ensure the rights of the
Maori people are respected and protected (Hudson & Russell, 2009). Participation, on the other
hand, refers to the involvement of Maori in matters regarding governance, design and
management, implementation and analysis particularly research that involves Maori (Hudson &

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Russell, 2009). The third principle, which is protection, refers to the active protection of Maori
individual and collective rights, the Maori culture, Maori data, cultural values, concepts,
practices, norms, and language (Hudson & Russell, 2009).
According to Oh (2008), the principle of partnerships operates in a social model that is
bicultural. This principle confirms the significance of cultural identity and recognises the
presence of the Maori context within the entire country (Durie, 1995). The bilateral kind of a
relationship ensures that the business community and Maori and linked and work together
towards achieving a common goal. The relationship does not end in business only, but also in
other important areas such as education, politics, sports and health. The principle of partnership
gives the Maori a sense of belonging and fosters a good relationship between the New Zealand
government and the Maori tribes and their acknowledgement of the Government’s rights of
governance. Both parties are responsible for improving each other’s welfare. Efficiency is the
primary objective of the partnership principle. Stone (2000) argues that in order to achieve
maximum value of particular resources, one should compare the benefits in various ways of
handling things can help communities to achieve the most out of the scarce resources available.
The principle of a partnership will help the New Zealanders to achieve efficiency through the
proper utilization of resources, such as the lakefront. The principle guides the government and
the business community on how they can equitably use the resources in achieving the greater
good of the society. Any project or service delivery to Maori should ensure that they are fully
involved in order to let them identify the most relevant initiatives and needs of the people. When
it comes to resource allocation, a utility is a very important criterion to evaluate the rationality of
the decisions.

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The principle of participation is based on the egalitarian model of society (Hayward,
1997). In this type of community, the primary assumption is that people must enjoy equal social,
economic and political rights and privileges. Considering this fact, business opportunities should
be provided to the people according to their needs. This principle helps people to realise that
every individual has equal rights and privileges. In the business arena, every organisation is
expected to support the local people. Community participation is key to the success of any
project. Every community member is entitled to services of appropriate standard (Larner &
Craig, 2002). The primary objective of participation is equity. Participation fosters equality in
many aspects of an individual’s world. The principle of equity promotes social justice.
According to Lashley (2000), social justice can be defined as the total fairness of a community or
society in its distributions of resources and problems. Based on the social justice principles,
every person is entitled to equal rights and privileges such as education, healthcare and minimum
income. The principle offers a basis of evaluating issues in business that concern the local
people.
The last principle is protection which is applied as a duty of services to acknowledge and
recognise the cultural beliefs, practices and values of Maori (Orange, 2015). With this regard, the
principle ensures that Maori are given culturally acceptable services. This principle is crucial as
it shows businesses the importance of protecting the local people’s resources. The main goal of
the protection principle is liberty. In this case, liberty refers to freedom or the choices that one
chooses as long as they do not harm others. Kingi (2007) states that curtailing other people's
liberty is essential for the preservation of the society in which the people can flourish and enjoy
freedom of choice. It is imperative to note that the expressions will still fall within the
Government’s defined activities. With this regard, the strategies of any business activity should

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pay particular attention to reorienting the operations to Maori interpretations of identity, health
models and expectations of the services (Ministry of Health, 2000). This principle is still relevant
today because it dramatically affects how investors interact with Maori tribes in New Zealand.
Examples of the TOW Principles inclusion and Considerations in the Case Study
The Rotorua Lakefront project as discussed in the case study has applied the TOW
principles in a number of ways. First of all, the entire project is guided by two main principles
whose implications are similar to the TOW principles. The first principle is value the role played
by TALT and Te Arawa regarding the lakes. In this case, it is required that the project should
incorporate Matauranga Maori which is in line with the TOW principle of participation. The
second principle of the projects in the case study is value tea ao Maori which requires that Maori
people should be reconnected to the Te Arawa lakes as a way of instilling a sense of collectivity.
Another example of TOW principles inclusions and considerations is the cultural design of the
lakefront and engagement of the community in all phases of the project.
The impact of the TOW Principle Considerations
The TOW principle considerations in the case study have some importance on the
people’s life. Strict adherence to the principles implies that there will be community engagement,
protection and involvement throughout any project. From the case study perspective, it led to
closer engagement of the community. The considerations of the principles led to cultural safety
as the government and other stakeholders aimed at improving the lives of Maori (Wepa, 2015).
Recommendations
There have been threats to remove the Treaty principles from legislation. Maintaining the
principles in the legislation is essential. The principles should also be applied in court decisions
to ensure that Maori welfare and life are protected. The TOW should find a place in New

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Zealand since this will determine whether the principles will be relevant or not. Maori should be
consulted at all times on matters of public relevance as a way of honouring the treaty and its
principles.
Conclusion
The TOW principles have great influence in various sectors such as health, business, and
education, among others. The treaty provides a framework on how Maori community can be
engaged in the government and other development projects. This has promoted self-
determination among Maori tribes. The TOW principles provide clear guidelines that enable
Maori to take part in many areas, particularly health. The implementation and adherence to these
principles will foster unity and a sense of belonging among the New Zealanders.

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