Valuing nature: Māori philosophy and the capability approach

Can the capability approach to well-being and development capture the way nature is valued within “Mātauranga Māori” (the philosophies of the indigenous peoples of Aotearoa/New Zealand)? This paper argues that current articulations of the capability approach, despite encouraging and requiring cross-cultural dialogue, are unable to include Māori values as they apply to nature. Māori values express a relationship with nature grounded in the physical and spiritual dimensions of “whakapapa” (genealogy). Such an approach differs markedly from that which values nature in light of human agency (as Amartya Sen’s theory does) or dignity (as Martha Nussbaum’s theory does). For the purposes of this paper, this difference highlights the need to create space for cross-cultural conversations which open up real opportunities for new ways forward. The capability approach helps to create the space needed for these conversations, but is unable to cover the ground required for their full expression. There is not enough breadth to guarantee a Māori voice within current articulations of the capability approach. There is a need for proponents of the capability approach to think beyond its limits in order to fully engage with those values yet to be fully considered within the capability framework.