New Zealand's 'Maori foreign policy' and China: a case of instrumental relationality?

This article examines Aotearoa New Zealand's adoption of a kaupapa Māori (collective Māori vision) foreign policy, based on four tikanga Māori (customary practices): manaakitanga (hospitality), whanaungatanga (kinship), mahi tahi and kotahitanga (unity through collaboration), and kaitiakitanga (guardianship). It focuses on how this Māori foreign policy framework has been applied to New Zealand's relationship with China, notably through the Indigenous allegory of the "taniwha and the dragon," symbolizing a mature, respectful bilateral relationship. The article argues that New Zealand's approach, which contrasts with the more confrontational stances of other Anglosphere countries, reflects a relational worldview rooted in te ao Māori (the Māori worldview) and serves to maintain New Zealand's independent foreign policy amid growing Sino-American rivalry in the Indo-Pacific. While this Māori foreign policy turn is substantive and evolving, its future prominence may be challenged by geopolitical pressures and domestic political changes.