ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on indigenous law and responsible water governance. The waterfowl and demons are presented as guardians who protect both the water body and the associated tribe. The chapter explores how the Maori worldview helped to reshape New Zealand water policy. It discusses the Maori law concepts, the application of the principles and the uptake of the Maori Council water policy by several political parties in the 2017 elections. In Maori tradition, the people are an integral part of a finely tuned ecosystem. The essential requirement for Maori, to keep peace with others, the living, the dead, the generations to come and the gods of the natural world is to honour the nature and show respect. People are more conscious of the traditional Maori stance for the protection of the natural world. Maori determine their own status, their place in the world and their relationship to other Maori throughout the country by the length and breadth of their genealogies.
