A rare literature review on Tiriti-based organisational change

There is a paucity of published literature about Tiriti-based organisational change. People tend to lean into doing the work rather than writing about it. This silence makes it hard for potential change agents to build on previous work or even know that it exists. In reality a rich body of Tiriti-based organisational change work does exist; it is just held in the memory and evolving praxis of Tiriti workers.

For those of us committed to Tiriti justice, the journey from being a monocultural institution to becoming a truly Tiriti-dynamic organisation is both a rigorous intellectual challenge and a deeply spiritual necessity. We know Māori have never ceded their tino rangatiratanga over this whenua, a fact confirmed by the Waitangi Tribunal and grounded in the authoritative Māori text of Te Tiriti. Yet, for decades, we have settled for a version of kāwanatanga that has been consistently dishonourable, marked by institutional and cultural racism, and fundamental failure to uphold basic Tiriti responsibilities.

To change this narrative, we must look at the responsibility of practitioners and leaders who have been working for decades for a Tiriti-based society and economy. For Tauiwi, this work is about embracing cultural safety and a strategic Tiriti-based anti-racism praxis. It requires us to move past what Alex Barnes calls Pākehā  paralysis and institutional hesitation that often stems from a fear of making mistakes or causing offence. Cultural safety, as Irihapeti Ramsden taught us, is not just about being competent in another’s culture; it is about examining our own power and shifting it so that whānau can define what “safe” practice looks like for them. Leaders have a particular role here, as they can mandate this direction via competencies for staff and boards. They can also co-design external accountability measures with Māori partners.

As organisations embark on Tiriti-honouring change work, education remains a foundational tool for building capacity. Effective Tiriti education must be more than a banking system of facts; it should be a process of ako that engages the head, the heart, and the hands. We have seen early-adopter groups like Women’s Refuge and Rape Crisis navigate these complex waters through parallel development models that focus on an equitable sharing of power and resources. This involves a planned, systemic approach to decolonisation—a term Linda Tuhiwai Smith described as the long-term process of divesting colonial power. It asks us to stop retrofitting Māori models like Mason Durie’s Te Whare Tapa Whā into Western systems and instead normalise Indigenous ways of being and knowing.

Ultimately, the flourishing of Tiriti-honouring organisations depends on the creation of a Tiriti-honouring society. This brings us to the urgent need for constitutional transformation, as articulated so clearly in the Matike Mai Aotearoa report. The proposed values, tikanga and associated models create a possible constitutional vision for our country: A tino rangatiratanga sphere, a kāwanatanga sphere, and a relational sphere. Taken as a whole, Matike Mai Aotearoa offers a blueprint for a future where Te Tiriti is the founding covenant of our nation. Hostile political climates come and go. Regardless, we must remain active citizens, challenging any action that aims to marginalise or erase our founding constitutional basis. As we approach 2040, our collective goal must be re-indigenisation and the restoration of Māori authority alongside diverse Tauiwi who recognise the promise and potential of a Tiriti-honouring society. 

Came, H, Barnes, A & Heta-Morris, T. (2026). Tiriti-led organisational change: A literature review, Sites: A Journal of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies, 22(1).  p1-29 https://doi.org/10.11157/sites-id560