by Karen Fisher
First published 2021
Fisher examines environmental justice through the lens of freshwater governance, focusing on New Zealand's degraded Waipā River. The book connects theories of environmental justice to the lived experiences of Indigenous Māori communities managing their ancestral waters. Fisher documents how settler colonial policies imposed Western approaches to water management, displacing traditional Māori knowledge and creating lasting environmental damage. The analysis reveals how these impositions harmed both the river ecosystem and Māori iwi across generations. The book shows Māori communities reclaiming their role as environmental guardians through kaitiakitanga practices. Fisher highlights emerging co-governance arrangements between iwi and the New Zealand Government that blend Indigenous and Western management approaches. These partnerships demonstrate how traditional knowledge can guide sustainable freshwater restoration in the Anthropocene era. The work offers readers from academic, policy, and practitioner backgrounds practical insights into Indigenous environmental justice and its applications to contemporary water challenges.
Genres: anthropology, non-fiction, environmental-science, activism, academic
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: decolonization, environmental-guardianship, indigenous-environmental-justice
Setting: New Zealand, Waipā River
Period: Anthropocene
515 pages · Hardcover · Palgrave Macmillan
Content warnings: colonialism