“Na whenua, na Tuhoe. Ko D.o.C. te partner”—Prospects for Comanagement of Te Urewera National Park

Comanagement is an attempt to produce better and fairer institutions of environmental management. It is applied to protected areas to reduce their social impacts, incorporate Indigenous peoples into decision making, and generate policies that reflect local ecology and culture. Yet comanagement has not always reduced the conflicts between Indigenous peoples and park managers. Through evaluation of the prospects for comanagement of Te Urewera National Park in New Zealand, we conclude that there is a need to identify the demand of Indigenous peoples for comanagement. Historical legacies of land alienation affect present relationships between Maori (the Indigenous population of New Zealand) and conservation authorities, and it is unrealistic to assume that the former will embrace comanagement when it is offered as a token resolution of land grievances. Case studies also confirm a need to acknowledge diversity within Indigenous communities and to address its impact the equity of comanagement.