Introduction to Civic Engagement and Active Citizenship – Lesson 1

Course Overview and Purpose

The lesson initially frames citizenship beyond a mere legal status or the classical understanding of rights and responsibilities typically covered in introductory political science courses. Instead, it redefines citizenship as an activity—a dynamic set of practices where individuals engage collaboratively to shape their shared societal environment. This active role emphasizes ongoing participation and influence.

• The lesson title, “Te Ara Tika – the right path/way forward,” serves as an introduction for students, signaling that they are beginning a significant journey in civic engagement.

• Key Bachelor of Arts (BA) skills, such as critical and creative thinking, effective communication, collaboration across diverse perspectives, making connections between different ideas, developing global and local awareness, and demonstrating adaptability, are presented as equally vital for success in future employment and for becoming an effective, active citizen. These skills are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.

• Crucially, the course provides students with practical and theoretical tools to think and act systematically as informed and ethical citizens. It also aims to equip them with the language and framework to articulate these valuable civic skills and experiences to potential employers, highlighting their readiness for real-world contributions.

Five fundamental dimensions of effective project work are highlighted as pillars throughout the semester:

1. Collaboration – This involves actively embracing debate and differing viewpoints as essential elements for democratic muscle-building. It underscores that robust engagement often arises from navigating and reconciling diverse perspectives.

2. Planning – This dimension focuses on the critical process of transforming abstract ideas into concrete, actionable, and scalable engagement plans. It emphasizes strategic thinking and practical implementation.

3. Practical knowledge & skills – This encompasses a range of essential abilities, including rigorous research, innovative design thinking approaches, and the practical “nuts & bolts” of effective civic action. Unit 5 specifically functions as a comprehensive toolbox for these skills.

4. Reflection – This involves thoughtfully integrating theoretical concepts, course readings, and peer learning experiences. It also requires a critical analysis of context, power dynamics, and the feasibility of proposed actions, ensuring a nuanced understanding of civic challenges.

5. Ethical engagement – This crucial dimension necessitates a deep interrogation of issues such as representation, obtaining informed consent, the complexities of “speaking for others,” and the vital importance of learning from both failures and successes in civic endeavors.

Maximising Course Benefits

Students are strongly encouraged to:

• Begin early background investigation: This involves a proactive exploration of what personally motivates, annoys, or inspires them within their community or broader society. The goal is to identify a specific, small, and realistic change that would feel genuinely meaningful to them, thereby fostering personal investment in their projects.

• Expect a front-loaded research burst before the mid-semester break: By this juncture, students are expected to have a clearly defined focus for their project, a robust contextual understanding of the issue, and a well-articulated “basic plan” outlining their initial approach and objectives.

• Budget approximately 10\ \text{hours}/\text{week}: This time commitment is allocated for a comprehensive engagement with the course material, including reading lessons and assigned texts, active participation within their Home Group discussions, timely completion of assignments, attending scheduled Zoom drop-in sessions for support, and proactively seeking extensions if needed.

• Value small-scale, locally realistic engagements: The course stresses the importance of focusing on achievable, tangible impacts within their immediate communities, rather than pursuing overly grandiose or unrealistic “change-the-world” proclamations. This promotes practical, sustainable action.

Defining Civic Engagement and Active Citizenship

Civic engagement is broadly defined as a spectrum of activities that can be:

• Individual or collective: Encompassing both personal acts of citizenship and joint efforts with others.

• In civil society or via formal political mechanisms: Ranging from community-based initiatives to participation in governmental processes.

• “Flaxroots/grassroots” (non-professional, marae- or community-led) or institutional: From organic, local movements to formalized, established organizations.

• Activist/direct action (even illegal/immoral) or embedded in official processes: Recognizing a wide range of tactics, from confrontational protest to conventional policy engagement.

"Flaxroots" specifically draws upon the rich traditions of Māori civic life, invoking the integral roles of marae, hāpu, and other Indigenous community structures. A potent illustration of this is the Ihumātao campaign, which exemplified community-led Indigenous resistance for land protection.

The lesson foregrounds a seven-level continuum, adapted from Ekman & Amnå (2012), which provides a nuanced framework for distinguishing various degrees of disengagement from overt activism. Levels 3-6 are specifically identified as the core zone the course defines as encompassing active citizenship, representing progressive stages of involvement beyond mere compliance or disinterest.

Spectrum of Civic & Political Participation

\begin{array}{|c|l|}
\hline
1 & \text{Anti-political}\; / \; \text{political distrust: Characterized by aversion to politics, cynicism towards institutions, or a belief that political action is futile or corrupt.}\
2 & \text{Apolitical / uninterested: Individuals who demonstrate indifference or a lack of concern regarding political or civic matters.}\
3 & \text{Social involvement: Activities such as staying informed about current events, community volunteering, and engaging in environmentally conscious practices like recycling.}\
4 & \text{Civic engagement: More direct forms of participation, including signing petitions, contacting elected representatives, or holding membership in civic organizations.}\
5 & \text{Formal political participation: Conventional engagement through established political systems, such as voting in elections, holding political party membership, or actively lobbying for specific causes.}\
6 & \text{Legal activism / civil disobedience: Engaging in legitimate forms of protest or non-violent resistance, including sit-ins, peaceful blockades, or organized strikes to bring about social or political change.}\
7 & \text{Illegal activism: Extreme forms of dissent that involve breaking the law, such as violent demonstrations or acts of sabotage.}\
\hline
\end{array}

Students are encouraged to self-locate their current position on this continuum, prompting reflection on their own engagement levels. Furthermore, they are asked to consider how and why their positions might evolve over time, recognizing the dynamic nature of civic participation.

Improving the Life of the Community

The working definition of civic activity emphasizes its purpose: it seeks to influence community life, moving beyond merely private affairs. Its core objective is to improve conditions by empowering individuals to collectively address shared concerns, fostering a sense of collective agency.

• Active citizens distinguish themselves by exceeding minimal legal duties, such as simply obeying laws or paying taxes. Their engagement goes beyond mere compliance.

• The very notion of “improvement” is presented as contestable—meaning it is subject to ongoing debate and negotiation through inclusive civic dialogue. This acknowledges that different groups may have varying perceptions of what constitutes progress or betterment.

• The scale of civic action can vary significantly: from highly localized efforts like neighborhood pest control, to broader concerns such as local infrastructure development, national policy reform, or even complex global issues requiring international cooperation.

• A powerful case example is Ihumātao, which began as a local Indigenous land protection struggle but gained significant national and international resonance, illustrating how local actions can have widespread impact.

Diverse Modes of Citizenship Practice

Cultural diversity profoundly shapes and produces differing civic styles and approaches.

• Māori civic life is often deeply rooted in and centers around the marae (communal meeting grounds), whakapapa (genealogical connections and family/kin links), and a strong emphasis on collective obligation and responsibility.

• In contrast, Pākehā (New Zealand European) traditions may emphasize individual action and engagement through interest-based associations, often prioritizing individual rights and autonomy.

• Pacific engagement frequently mobilizes established community networks, particularly through churches, which serve as central hubs for organizing and collective action.

Ihumātao powerfully illustrates this hybridity: while Indigenous-led and deeply rooted in Māori principles, it also fostered broader alliances reflected in the #ProtectIhumātao movement and its “community-supported” nature. However, it also revealed intra-cultural debate, with criticism from some Māori elders regarding perceived boundaries of authority and traditional leadership roles. Pania Newton’s compelling narrative expertly weaves together her place-based identity, historical injustices, environmental guardianship, and global Indigenous solidarity, demonstrating how deeply personal stories can effectively fuel and sustain civic momentum.

Civil Society and Civic Dialogue

The concept of civic dialogue operates within a liberal-democratic backdrop: the core principle dictates that everyone affected by a decision should have a meaningful opportunity to help shape or “author” it. The belief is that collective deliberation leads to better, more legitimate outcomes. Despite this, most citizens in such systems often restrict their participation to merely voting every 3 years, highlighting a gap between ideal and practice.

Civil society is defined as autonomous arenas where citizens can freely associate and gather. These spaces include a diverse array of forums: marae, traditional village squares, public protests, town halls, various forms of news media, social media platforms, and even cultural domains like creative arts. Ideally, civil society operates outside both state power (governmental control) and market power (corporate influence), although external forces like police actions, media conglomerates, or algorithmic biases can intrude upon its autonomy.

Dialogue within civil society ideally nurtures crucial elements like trust, a sense of collective identity, critical thinking skills, and the generation of innovative policy ideas. However, such dialogue is commonly mediated and structured by various organizations, including Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), churches, iwi bodies (Māori tribal authorities), and trade unions.

Principles of Civic Dialogue

Four normative pillars represent the “ideal” framework for civic dialogue, though they are often unmet in practice:

1. Inclusion – This principle asserts that all affected parties must have a meaningful and equitable voice in discussions. A key example is ensuring the active participation of youth in critical climate decisions, acknowledging their long-term stake.

2. Equality – This demands an equal opportunity for all participants to express their views, offer critiques, and participate without any form of coercion or undue influence. This principle is frequently jeopardized by disparities in wealth or disproportionate public relations (PR) budgets, which can skew access and influence.

3. Publicity – This requires that deliberation occurs openly within a pluralistic public sphere, where discussions are transparent and accessible. This openness ideally fosters accountability and promotes awareness of the diverse impacts that decisions may have on various segments of society.

4. Reasonableness – This dictates that persuasion within dialogue should primarily rest on sound logic, empirical evidence, and shared civic-minded reasons, rather than being swayed by an individual's money, social status, or raw power. It acknowledges, however, that cultural and spiritual justifications can also be considered “reasonable” when they are clearly articulated and publicly explainable (e.g., justifying the protection of a historic cathedral based on its profound spiritual and cultural value).

A reasonable person, in this context, is characterized by their use of sound arguments, their active pursuit of mutual agreement, their demonstration of an open mind to alternative perspectives, and their willingness to invite and respond to constructive critique.

Citizenship in Aotearoa: Te ao Māori & Te ao Pākehā

Liberal individualism, often associated with Western philosophical traditions, stands in stark contrast to the more collectivist Indigenous frameworks prevalent in Aotearoa (New Zealand).

• The Ihumātao case notably demonstrates how Māori kaupapa (principles/values) can effectively fulfill all four civic principles (Inclusion, Equality, Publicity, Reasonableness) while simultaneously foregrounding essential Māori concepts of rangatiratanga (self-determination) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship).

• Louise Humpage (2008) further contributes to this discussion by arguing for a form of solidarity that is founded on respect for difference rather than an assumption of sameness. This approach seeks to reconcile individual equal-rights models, common in Pākehā society, with the imperative of Indigenous justice and collective rights.

Māori Citizenship Concepts

• Tangata whenua – This term refers to the “people of the land,” emphasizing an autochthonous identity and inherent rights derived from deep Ancestral connections via whakapapa (genealogy and kinship ties). It signifies an foundational belonging to a particular place.

• Mana whenua – This denotes traditional authority, prestige, and customary rights over specific lands and resources within a designated area. Crucially, it entails reciprocal duties of care and responsibility towards that land and its people.

These inherent status-relationships profoundly influence protocols surrounding precedence, the necessity of consultation obligations, and the exercise of guardianship in all matters pertaining to civic life and land use within Māori contexts.

Māori Civic Engagement in Action

Several key tikanga (customs/protocols) and core values profoundly shape Māori public life and engagement:

• Manaakitanga – This central value encapsulates the actions of caring for, hosting, and showing profound respect for others, fostering an environment of generosity and reciprocal hospitality.

• Whanaungatanga – This emphasizes the vital importance of building and nurturing strong, reciprocal relationships, recognizing the interconnectedness of all people and the significance of familial and community bonds.

• Kotahitanga – This refers to the principle of unity, collective action, and the diligent pursuit of consensus within a group, aiming for harmonious agreement and collective strength.

• Mana & Rangatiratanga – Mana signifies spiritual power, authority, prestige, and influence, while Rangatiratanga denotes self-determination, chieftainship, and sovereignty, particularly in the context of Māori self-governance over their affairs and resources.

• Kaitiakitanga – This embodies the profound ethic of guardianship and stewardship, especially concerning the environment, natural resources, and cultural heritage, extending responsibilities across past, present, and future generations.

Whakapapa’s relational ontology fundamentally situates human beings and the land (whenua) within an intricate web of intertwined past, present, and future responsibilities, as articulated by Hancock et al. (2020). This worldview underscores a deep, intergenerational connection to place and people.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi & Civic Life

Since the 1970\text{s}, the increasing recognition and reinterpretation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) has profoundly reshaped public institutions and governance in Aotearoa:

• Key milestones include the establishment of Te Reo Māori as a co-official language, the creation of the Waitangi Tribunal to hear historical Treaty grievances, and the ongoing era of Treaty settlements, which aim to address past injustices.

• The Treaty is now widely understood as a “living document,” with its core principles of partnership, protection, and participation being progressively embedded into multiple statutes, government agencies, and policy frameworks across New Zealand.

• Despite these advancements, tensions persist, exemplified by ongoing contentious issues such as the practices of Oranga Tamariki (the Ministry for Children) regarding child removals, which have raised significant concerns about Treaty compliance and cultural appropriateness. Massey University’s explicit “Te Tiriti-led” strategy serves as a contemporary example of emerging institutional transformations aimed at genuine Treaty partnership.

Working in Te ao Māori: Practical Guidelines

For effective engagement within Te ao Māori (the Māori world), practical guidelines include:

• Design engagement with Māori from inception: It is critical to involve Māori perspectives and expertise from the very beginning of a project, even if the kaupapa (purpose) is not exclusively “for Māori.” This ensures genuine co-design and relevance.

• Map mana whenua relationships in your rohe: Identify and understand the traditional authority and customary relationships of Māori groups (iwi, hapū) within the specific geographical area (rohe) relevant to your project. This informs appropriate engagement protocols.

• Avoid paternalistic “doing things for others”: Shift from a mindset of providing solutions to Māori to one of working with Māori, respecting their agency, knowledge, and self-determination.

• Consult Unit 7 ethics reading: Alcoff 1991 “Speaking for Others”: This reading provides crucial ethical considerations regarding representation and power dynamics when one attempts to speak on behalf of marginalized groups, urging caution and self-reflexivity.

• Relationship-building—kanohi-ki-te-kanohi (face-to-face), listening, observing—is often a project in itself: Recognize that establishing genuine, trusting relationships with Māori communities takes significant time, effort, and authentic engagement, often requiring direct, in-person interactions, deep listening, and careful observation of cultural protocols.

• Seek advice from marae komiti, iwi authorities; educate yourself in history, te reo, tikanga; expect transformation: Proactively seek guidance from local marae committees and iwi leadership. Undertake personal responsibility to educate yourself about Māori history, te reo (the Māori language), and tikanga (customs/protocols), approaching the process with an open mind and expecting personal and professional transformation.

Innovations and Limits in Civic Dialogue

International experiments demonstrate more participatory and deliberative models of civic engagement:

• Participatory budgeting (e.g., Porto Alegre, Brazil): This innovative approach allows citizens to directly co-determine how municipal budgets are allocated, empowering communities with direct control over public spending decisions.

• Citizens’ assemblies (e.g., Ireland's use for abortion law reform; Iceland's for constitutional revision): These randomly selected, representative groups of ordinary citizens deliberate extensively on complex policy issues, often leading to more informed and legitimate recommendations than traditional political processes.

• Consensus conferences (e.g., Denmark's use for environmental technology): These structured forums bring together citizens, experts, and stakeholders to reach consensus on controversial scientific or technological issues.

New Zealand, however, has generally relied more on consultation processes. These processes can often favor well-resourced participants or those with existing networks and expertise, leading to skewed outcomes. A notable example is the Auckland Unitary Plan, where submitter demographics were observed to be disproportionately older and wealthier, highlighting how socio-economic, cultural, and capacity gaps can significantly limit the ideal of “equal” dialogue.

Civic Dialogue and Protest

When official channels of civic dialogue fail to adequately address grievances or when certain societal groups remain unheard, protest often emerges as a powerful, albeit sometimes spectacular, emotive, and confrontational, form of civic expression. It serves as a means of last resort to bring issues to public attention.

Historic and modern New Zealand examples of significant protests include:

• Māori land resistance: Ranging from the 19th-century actions of Hone Heke, to boycotts of the Native Land Court, and contemporary large-scale hikoi (marches/parades) for land rights.

• The 1981 Springbok Tour protests against apartheid, the impactful Nuclear-Free movement, the protracted Ihumātao occupation for land protection, the global School Strike 4 Climate demonstrations, and the recent Parliament vaccine-mandate protests, each highlighting diverse causes and methods.

Protest involves a delicate balance between the democratic rights of citizens to express dissent and the rights of others to safety, public order, and unhindered movement. Non-violent repertoires of protest, such as Greenpeace’s high-sea standoffs, often aim to dramatize a moral asymmetry, highlighting perceived injustices through symbolic confrontation. Over extended periods, protest movements can be highly effective in yielding profound social and cultural change, as evidenced by the progression of LGBTQ+ rights globally.

Civic Engagement & the Market: Social Enterprise

Social enterprise is defined as ventures that strategically harness market mechanisms (commercial activities, sales, profit generation) to create intrinsic pro-social outcomes within their fundamental business model. This distinguishes them from traditional businesses merely engaging in corporate social responsibility (CSR) or philanthropy.

An excellent example is The Cookie Project, a for-profit bakery that deliberately and centrally employs people with disabilities. In this model, the generation of profits is intrinsically linked to the social benefit: providing meaningful employment tackles social marginalization while simultaneously reshaping societal stereotypes about disability through positive interaction and product creation.

Crucially, not all firms engaging in charitable giving or CSR initiatives qualify as social enterprises; the impact must directly stem through the core commercial activity itself, not merely as a byproduct of profit generated elsewhere.

Crisis in Civic Engagement & Rise of Networked Citizenship

Indicators across many liberal democracies point to a perceived crisis in traditional civic engagement: this includes declining voter turnout, dwindling membership in established civic groups, eroding trust in institutions, and the pervasive challenge of online misinformation crises (e.g., Cambridge Analytica, QAnon).

While New Zealand initially exhibited strong social solidarity early in the Covid-19 pandemic, it now faces increasing polarization, the rise of anti-mandate networks, and the sobering reality of extremist violence, exemplified by the Christchurch 2019 mosque attacks. As Spoonley (2021) notes, this serves as a stark reminder that societal resilience requires continuous active maintenance.

Networks & Digital Dynamics

“Dutiful citizenship,” characterized by adherence to formal political processes and traditional civic organizations, is perceptibly morphing into networked citizenship:

• This new modality is often issue- or identity-driven, primarily leveraging participation via social media platforms where affective resonance (emotional connection) frequently trumps traditional party lines or ideological affiliations.

• Digital platforms themselves create new loci of power, giving rise to mega-influencers and the unprecedented influence of BigTech companies, which shape public discourse.

• Online mobilization has powerfully empowered significant movements like Occupy, #MeToo, Black Lives Matter (BLM), and #ProtectIhumātao, enabling rapid and widespread organization. However, these same digital networks have also been exploited to propagate neo-fascist ideologies and elaborate conspiracy theories, demonstrating their dual capacity for both positive and negative social impact.

• The long-term sustainability and depth of “click-tivism” (superficial online engagement) remain unclear; robust offline organizing and sustained community building continue to be essential for achieving lasting change. Laura O’Connell Rapira’s observations highlight the extensive “hard graft” and on-the-ground organizing that underpinned movements like the Ihumātao “day of action,” despite their visible online presence.

Lesson Conclusion

Civic engagement, active citizenship, and civic dialogue are complex concepts: they are multifaceted, culturally contingent, and constantly evolving in response to societal shifts. While foundational liberal principles—inclusion, equality, publicity, and reasonableness—provide necessary guidance, they are often insufficient on their own:

• Aotearoa’s unique bicultural reality and the ongoing obligations stipulated by Te Tiriti o Waitangi necessitate the integral integration of Māori worldviews, particularly core concepts like rangatiratanga (self-determination) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship).

• Comparative innovations from abroad, such as participatory budgeting and citizens’ assemblies, suggest richer and more inclusive participatory possibilities beyond traditional models.

• Digital networks simultaneously invigorate civic life by enabling unprecedented mobilization and endanger it by facilitating the spread of misinformation and polarization.

• The civic repertoire extends far beyond conventional council submissions, encompassing diverse forms of protest, the rise of social enterprise, and foundational grassroots initiatives.

Students are challenged to ethically, reflectively, and creatively wield their Bachelor of Arts skills. The ultimate goal is to craft realistic and impactful engagement projects that actively contribute to strengthening community resilience and well-being. Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui! (Be strong, be brave, be steadfast!)

Glossary / Key Concepts (Quick Reference)

• Active Citizen – An individual who consistently acts beyond their minimal legal duties to proactively improve communal life and contribute to the well-being of their community.

• Civil Society – The autonomous sphere of citizen association and collective action that operates independently of both state power and market forces, facilitating public discourse and collective endeavors.

• Civic Dialogue – A deliberative process characterized by inclusion, equality, publicity, and reasonableness, engaged in by citizens to collectively discuss and resolve shared community issues.

• Tangata Whenua / Mana Whenua – Tangata Whenua refers to the indigenous people of the land with inherent rights via whakapapa; Mana Whenua denotes specific customary authority and stewardship over particular lands and resources.

• Kaitiakitanga – A profound guardianship ethic rooted in Māori worldview, linking people, land, waterways, and future generations through reciprocal responsibilities and stewardship principles.

• Participatory Budgeting / Citizens’ Assembly / Consensus Conference – Institutionalized innovations in deliberative democracy designed to enhance public participation and informed decision-making in governance.

• Social Enterprise – A market-based venture whose core business model is structured so that its profits directly yield specific social or environmental benefits, distinct from merely charitable giving.

• Networked Citizenship – Contemporary engagement modalities characterized by digitally mediated, often issue- or identity-centric participation primarily facilitated through social media platforms and online networks.