Pergamon 0264-2751(96)00020--0 Cities, Vol. 13, No. 5, pp. 329-337, 1996 Copyright (~) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved 0264-2751/96 $15.00 + 0.00 Cross-cultural dynamics in the eco- city: Waitakere City, New Zealand Melinda Laituri Department of Earth Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1482, USA (e-mail: mell@cnr,colostate,edu) In recent years, New Zealand has undergone fundamental economic, institutional and administrative restructuring. One outcome of this has been the implementation of the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). Fundamental to the RMA is sustainable management of natural resources at a regional scale. However, there are no prescriptive definitions for sustainable management in the act; rather the act allows regional and local government flexibility in developing policy and plans for economic development and environmental preservation. Recognizing the importance of biculturalism in New Zealand society, a further requirement of the Act grants Maori a significant role in the management of natural resources. Within this institutional context, Waitakere City, located on the western margin of the Auckland region, has adopted the principles of Agenda 21. The City Council has designated itself as an eco-city with a "greenprint" for future development and growth. A significant component of Agenda 21 is the explicit recognition of indigenous rights. Within its development plans, Waitakere City has adopted Maori concepts for resource management specifically for environmental preserva- tion, water quality and sustainable management. This paper discusses the cross-cultural dynamics of natural resource management in Waitakere City. The first section describes the role of Agenda 21 and RMA in creating the eco-city and its relationship to the greater Auckland region. The second part examines the influence of biculturalism in implementing the goals of the eco-city. The final part considers the arenas in which the principles for sustainability with regard to Maori will be tested in the future. Copyright (~) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd Introduction During the 1980s, New Zealand undertook a fun- damental restructuring of its economy and adminis- tration. A result of this restructuring has been the development of new administrative arrangements for resource management, culminating in the adop- tion of the Resource Management Act (RMA). The primary goal of the RMA is sustainable management of natural resources at a regional scale. There are no prescriptive definitions for sustainable management in the act, rather the act allows regional and local governments to develop strategies that reflect the unique needs and requirements of their specific locality. In 1993, Waitakere City formally adopted the Earth Summit's Agenda 21 and became New Zea- land's first eco-city - the primary goal of which is to "consider our children and their children in all that we do, and working towards achieving a sustainable city" (Strategy and Development Unit, 1994, p 3). Waitakere City is located on the western margin of the Auckland region, New Zealand's largest metro- politan area. The Waitakere Ranges are situated within the City's boundaries and provide an import- ant recreational resource as well as being the major water supply catchment for the region. However, the City is experiencing all the problems associated with rapidly growing urban areas: urban sprawl, traffic congestion and associated pressures on natu- ral resources. An important component of the RMA, other associated national legislation [the Treaty of Waitan- gi (1840), the Maori Land Act (1993) and the Local Government Reform Act (1989)] and Agenda 21 is the explicit recognition of indigenous rights. Waita- kere City has adopted specific strategies to achieve the mandate of this national legislation and Agenda 21 through a participatory approach to decision- making with the Maori. This paper examines the strategies Waitakere City is implementing to address sustainable management within a framework of bicultralism. The first section of the paper describes the role of Agenda 21 and the RMA in creating the eco-city and their relationship to Maori values. The second part describes Waita- 329