ABSTRACT

The article analyses participatory processes in estuary restoration in Maketū on the East Coast of the North Island to examine how evolving relational dynamics amongst key stakeholders and Māori led to the achievement of a collective environmental imaginary. The case, marked by a history of conflict over the diversion of the Kaituna River and resulting estuary degradation, led to a focussed period of community engagement between 2006 and 2009 which established a collective intention to restore the ecological health of the estuary. Ongoing community engagement has been a feature of restoration project design and implementation. In examining this case, we draw on the concept of imaginaries, referring to shared visions of desirable futures, to explore how ‘imaginaries of process’ and ‘imaginaries of outcome’ played out among a heterogeneous set of stakeholders and Indigenous actors. We undertake a discourse analysis of relevant documents and of interviews and focus groups with 25 participants to demonstrate how inclusive participatory processes were used as a technique to resolve estuary degradation, address historical grievance between Māori, the community and local authorities, and reset the governance and management relationships between these actors.

摘要

本文分析了北岛东海岸 Maketū 河口修复的参与过程，以研究主要利益相关者和毛利人之间不断变化的关系动态如何导致实现集体环境想象。该案以凯图纳河改道和导致河口退化的冲突历史为标志，导致 2006 年至 2009 年期间社区参与的重点时期确立了恢复河口生态健康的集体意图。持续的社区参与一直是恢复项目设计和实施的一个特点。在研究这个案例时，我们借鉴了想象的概念，指的是对理想未来的共同愿景，探索“过程的想象”和“结果的想象”如何在一组异质的利益相关者和土著行为者之间发挥作用。我们对 25 名参与者的相关文件、访谈和焦点小组进行了话语分析，以展示如何使用包容性参与过程作为解决河口退化的一种技术，解决毛利人、社区和地方当局之间的历史不满，并重置治理和这些参与者之间的管理关系。