This article is about the utilisation of whenua Māori in the context of climate change and its implications for owners, governors and managers of such lands. The article draws on existing literature and employs a whānau-centric methodology to discuss Māori land-owning entities and their awareness of, preparedness for and action on the matter of climate change in Aotearoa New Zealand. Forty-five survey respondents and interviews with three governors of Māori authorities provided data for the following research question: What is the state of Māori authority readiness for climate change and its effect on whenua Māori utilisation?

Post-settlement governance entities (PSGEs) are an outcome of the Treaty of Waitangi settlement process. Their role is to hold, manage and be responsible for the collective assets received on behalf of claimant groups, most often represented by iwi. However, many PSGEs serve wider purposes, including social, cultural, environmental and other iwi-defined purposes. This article seeks to answer the following research question: What factors influence the design and operation of PSGEs? Through analysing literature and data collected from the experiences of three PSGEs, we find that challenges PSGEs tend to encounter are not a result of their design.