White supremacy and the polycrisis

Key points from expert talk

• The polycrisis is rooted in systems of colonisation and white supremacy. The interconnected environmental and social crises stem from a theological doctrine that legitimised the domination of both indigenous peoples and the natural world.
• The same worldview that justifies exploitation of people also justifies exploitation of nature. Hierarchical beliefs embedded in imperialism rationalised the extraction of land, resources and wealth by denying the rights and humanity of indigenous peoples.
• Colonial legal frameworks continue to shape environmental governance in Aotearoa. Doctrines used to dispossess Māori of land and authority have had lasting effects on resource management, facilitating environmental degradation while continuing to alienate Māori of their rights and authority.
• The costs of environmental degradation are distributed unequally. The harms associated with water pollution, biodiversity loss and climate change are experienced disproportionately by Māori (and other indigenous) communities, while the economic benefits of resource extraction accrue among the wealthy – predominantly white – populations.
• Addressing the polycrisis requires that structural racism be confronted. Environmental and climate “sacrifice zones” depend on treating some people and places as expendable, making racial justice integral to effective environmental action.
• Indigenous knowledge and constitutional reform are presented as central to long-term solutions. The briefing advocates honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and pursuing constitutional transformation that embeds indigenous values and strengthens protection for people and the environment.
• Addressing the polycrisis requires rejecting systems that treat people, land and nature as disposable in the pursuit of wealth and power.