Analysis of Treaty of Waitangi Application in Business

Running head: TREATY OF WAITANGI 1
Analysis of Treaty of Waitangi Application in Business
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TREATY OF WAITANGI 2
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

TREATY OF WAITANGI 3
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 &