Maori^<b>1</b> commercial fisheries governance in Aotearoa^<b>2</b>/New Zealand within the bounds of a neoliberal fisheries management regime

Abstract

Abstract Recent literature on natural resource governance has highlighted the consequences of a strong imprint of neoliberal political ideologies on current environmental policies. A parallel theme in the recent literature relates to claims pertaining to ownership and management of natural resources by indigenous minorities in post‐colonial Western democracies who have been historically marginalised and impoverished by the aftermath of European colonisation. Recently, in order to respond to indigenous demands to settle long‐standing grievances for the return of their ancestral lands and natural resources, some post‐colonial governments have encouraged the development of indigenous self‐governance and co‐management initiatives to manage natural resources such as fisheries and forests. Based on a study of the recent Maori fisheries restitution policy initiatives in Aotearoa/New Zealand, this paper presents a preliminary interrogation of the new hybrid indigenous fisheries governance spaces within the bounds of a neoliberal fisheries management regime.