[Definition, and the intention to focus on issues]
This paper is about the issues affecting Maori governance. It considers that Maori governance is beneficial for Maori and for the country.
By “governance” I mean the process by which a people or a group exercise control of their affairs and their destiny.
A purpose of this conference, I am informed, is to shift discussion from polemics to pragmatics, and with that in mind, the issues are considered in the context of a strategic plan to develop Maori governance. It is probably too early to propose a particular structure but not too soon to develop a strategic plan to settle a structure in time. Maori governance to my mind, is not only desirable but achievable.
