Erin Matariki Carr

​​Erin Matariki Carr (Matariki) is of Ngāi Tūhoe and Ngāti Awa descent and currently lives in her traditional homelands in the north island of Aotearoa New Zealand. Matariki’s working background is in law and policy, with a focus on the interface between Indigenous and western legal systems and methodologies. Of most relevance for the DOORR programme is Matariki’s background working as Manager Planning & Design to create and implement policies under Te Urewera Act 2014, and its management plan, Te Kawa o Te Urewera 2017. This legislation is the first in the world to enshrine the Te Urewera rainforest as her own legal person, with the same rights and liabilities as a person. This is a creative legal invention with the western legal system to enable the Indigenous Tūhoe worldview to operate in accordance with their own values; being human management for the benefit of the land (as opposed to the traditional western approach of “resource management”). Currently, Matariki serves a number of contracts; as a researcher on constitutional transformation with Associate Professor Dr Claire Charters at the University of Auckland; a community facilitator for Haimona Waititi at Tūmanako Consultants to introduce people to the Indigenous Māori world; Co-lead for RIVER, an international organisation serving to revitalise Indigenous virtues for Earth’s regeneration; and, as co-Manager for the New Zealand Alternative, a non-profit organisation creating informed public debate relating to Aotearoa New Zealand’s place and foreign policy in this changing world.