ABSTRACT

For the past decade, collaboration has been the preferred method of devising land and water policy in Aotearoa New Zealand to achieve agreed outcomes. However, the use of collaboration in policymaking is at a crossroads, as some argue it is unrealistic to expect stakeholders and tangata whenua with competing interests to work in partnership on contentious policy issues. To help clarify the future direction of collaboration, this paper provides authorising agencies (those with responsibility for the policy problems) with prompts to reflect ex ante on the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing collaboration. Based on a retrospective review of collaborations in New Zealand’s land and water policymaking, and a two-day symposium with collaboration practitioners, we identify situations that are potentially less suited to collaboration owing to factors that are challenging to overcome through process design. Four issues that affect the success of collaborations are identified: the nature of the policy problem, the personal and collective qualities of those involved, power relationships, and the collaborative process. Finally, we draw together practical lessons from history, the symposium, and the literature to develop a list of questions for authorising agencies to use to reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing collaboration.

摘要

在过去的十年中，合作一直是新西兰 Aotearoa 制定土地和水政策以实现商定成果的首选方法。然而，在政策制定中使用协作正处于十字路口，因为一些人认为，期望利益相关者和 tangata whenua 在有争议的政策问题上合作是不现实的。为了帮助明确未来的合作方向，本文为授权机构（负责政策问题的机构）提供了事前反映的提示关于追求合作的利弊。基于对新西兰土地和水政策制定中合作的回顾性审查，以及与合作从业者举行的为期两天的研讨会，我们确定了可能不太适合合作的情况，因为通过流程设计难以克服的因素。确定了影响合作成功的四个问题：政策问题的性质、相关人员的个人和集体素质、权力关系和合作过程。最后，我们从历史、研讨会和文献中汲取实际经验教训，制定出一系列问题，供授权机构用来反思寻求合作的利弊。