The Honourable Kāwanatanga Project is a multi-year research initiative, supported by the Royal Society Te Apārangi Marsden Fund, that explores how kāwanatanga - authority to govern - can be exercised in ways that are truly ethical, relational, and consistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Led by co-investigators Drs. Heather Came and Clive Aspin, the project interrogates the history of colonial control and theorises pathways toward an "honourable state" that upholds mana motuhake and enables genuine power-sharing. 

By engaging with Māori and Tauiwi elders, activists, and practitioners, the study aims to move beyond traditional settler-colonial governance to develop a stepping stone for a fair and just Aotearoa where honourable kāwanatanga is normalised  and Te Tiriti upheld.

In Stage One of the project, we conceptualised honourable kāwanatanga – through examining Waitangi Tribunal reports, relevant literature, interviewing 20 movement elders, activists and scholars - and hosted a significant wānanga focused on this kaupapa. We are currently writing up relevant publications. 

This survey is part of Stage Two of the study where we hope to recruit 750+ organisations to share their Te Tiriti o Waitangi journey. From this cohort of participants, we will interview 50 leaders to drill down to identify critical process and steps in organisational journeys.

We are eager to hear from people affiliated to the vast array of organisations throughout Aotearoa.
If that is you, please take the time to support our project by completing the online questionnaire.

In the survey we are interested to learn about your Te Tiriti journey – we are focused on:

i) structural power-sharing, 
ii) relational-centred practice, 
iii) policy and systemic integration, 
iv) monitoring and accountability. 

This survey is designed for formal and semi-formal organisations, but we would love to hear from informal community groups as well.

Your contribution will help build the first comprehensive database of Tiriti-based organisational journeys in Aotearoa.  

Some points to note: 

1. The questionnaire will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes. If a question does not match your experience, please feel free to leave it and move to the next one.

2. If you have insights into the organisation, you are the 'right' person to respond.

3. You do not need to get permission to complete the questionnaire from another person in your organisation.

4. We value your personal perspective.

5. If multiple people from an organisation complete the questionnaire, that is fine. 

We are very grateful for your time and your support of this project.

This research project has been approved by the Te Herenga Waka Human Ethics Committee. 
Approval number:  2025/HE040157