Session Description
Around the world, impact assessment is increasingly expected to recognise Indigenous rights, knowledge systems, and values. Yet Indigenous perspectives are often treated as an additional assessment topic or consultation requirement, rather than shaping how impacts are understood, assessed, and acted upon. Meaningful change requires more than Indigenous participation—it requires shared responsibility across the impact assessment profession. This panel brings together Māori practitioners from Aotearoa New Zealand and non-Indigenous practitioners who have supported Indigenous-led assessment in policy, planning, and practice. Together, they will explore the complementary roles needed to create culturally responsive, equitable, and effective assessment processes. Māori panellists will demonstrate how Indigenous worldviews reframe assessment by centring relationships, culture, whakapapa, and intergenerational wellbeing. Non-Indigenous panellists will reflect on their role in enabling Indigenous leadership by creating space for Indigenous voices, challenging institutional barriers, advocating for equitable processes, and fostering organisational change. Their role is not to speak for Indigenous communities, but to help create conditions where Indigenous knowledge and leadership can meaningfully influence assessment and decision-making. The panel will examine the consequences of Western-dominated assessment frameworks, including the marginalisation of cultural values, reduced trust, and missed opportunities for better outcomes. It will also share practical examples of how respectful partnerships, organisational leadership, and professional accountability can strengthen assessment
Session Summary
Reframing Impact Assessment explores how Indigenous leadership and shared professional responsibility can transform assessment practice. Māori practitioners and non-Indigenous allies will discuss centering culture, creating space for Indigenous leadership and creating a more equitable approach.
Session Chair
Marie McCarthy
Tonkin + Taylor
New Zealand
Session Co-chair
Sarah McCarter
Tonkin + Taylor
New Zealand