Māori perspectives on justice for Pacific Islanders at risk of climate-induced displacement.

This article examines Māori perspectives on justice for Pacific Islanders at risk of climate-induced displacement (PIRCID) due to anthropogenic climate change, focusing on Indigenous intercultural dynamics and solidarities within Polynesia. Drawing on interviews with eight Māori environmental activists and experts, the study identifies a three-pronged justice paradigm rooted in Māori concepts: whakapapa (genealogy and kinship), whakamana (empowerment), and rangatiratanga (sovereignty), emphasizing Pacific Islanders’ agency, epistemological equity, and self-determination in migration governance. The research highlights the holistic nature of displacement losses—including spiritual, psychological, cultural, and socio-economic impacts—and underscores Māori–Polynesian familial ties as a basis for preferential support and migration pathways, particularly to Aotearoa New Zealand. This Indigenous-centered framework contrasts with prevailing state security and securitization logics dominating climate-induced migration discourse, suggesting alternative approaches that foreground Indigenous rights and inter-Indigenous responsibilities.