Tim McCready

Mood of the Boardroom: Co-governance shouldn’t be a political football (NZ Herald)

Mood of the Boardroom: Co-governance shouldn’t be a political football

The way that debate has played out is reflective of something that I am increasingly concerned about in New Zealand: a developing division in the political discourse that is artificially divided in a way similar to what we have seen play out recently overseas.

Top law firm boss Hayden Wilson says that co-governance, in a legal sense, is not a new concept, and while it is sensible to discuss appropriate governance models for the public sector, he is concerned about the way it is being latched on to as a rhetorical tool in political debate.

Ongoing water and health reforms have seen co-governance make headlines recently.

Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta says that co-governance is about the Crown meeting treaty obligations and maintaining relationships between councils and mana whenua.

But National Party leader Christopher Luxon believes New Zealanders don’t have a good idea of what it means, and suggests the Government needs to set out clear guidelines on what is and what is not included for constitutional issues such as co-governance.

Wilson, who chairs Dentons Kensington Swan and is a member of Dentons’ global board of directors, says New Zealand’s government exists as a result of a treaty partnership, and governance models that seek to reflect that relationship with Māori and provide for a more inclusive decision-making, can only be a good thing.

“Co-governance is a product of New Zealand’s unique place in the world and our unique arrangements,” he says, noting it offers a real opportunity for something that is different, more effective, and truly New Zealand.