New research at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha focuses on the impacts for iwi- and hapū-owned native plant nurseries in protecting taonga plants and mātauranga Māori.The project, led by legal anthropologist Dr David Jefferson, explores the Plant Variety Rights Act 2022 and other legal frameworks.
"As of early 2024 new protections for taonga species and mātauranga Māori that were created in 2022 have not yet been implemented, so many questions remain about how these changes will function in practice," Jefferson said.
"One of these legal developments, the Plant Variety Rights Act 2022, may eventually provide useful tools for iwi- and hapū-owned initiatives that commercialise native plant-based products in accordance with tikanga Māori." Jefferson said.
During the past year, the University of Canterbury teacher has visited half a dozen iwi-owned or marae-affiliated plant nurseries across the country, and he says saying many Māori people he's spoken to don't believe any one iwi should have exclusive rights to taonga plants.
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