Wellbeing Economy Book Club: Economic Possibilities of Decolonisation with Matthew Scobie

Economy for Public Good
Written By Sally Hett

Listen to author Matthew Scobie discuss his new book Economics Possibilities of Decolonisation he co-authored with Anna Struman in 2024.

Many thanks to Matt for his time and important research highlighting the need for constitutional and economic transformations in Aotearoa.

What followed was an insightful discussion. We leave with more provoking questions.

  • Rangatiratanga is brought into being through community and connection, it's not at an individual level. It's the relationship between rangatira and followers, solidarity, connections, whakapapa, ways of organising life. What does that mean for the Treaty Principles Bill kōrero?

  • Are the goals of the Treaty Principles Bill to extinguish the basis of the Māori Political Economy? 

    • Any political economy build on a broke contract is a fragile economy!

  • What should happen in the kawangatanga sphere? Or the relational sphere?

    • To what extent is it appropriate and useful to aim to transfer the kawanatanga sphere to resemble more of what we find in Māori economies e.g. in terms of obligations, rights and resources. Or is that some sort of appropriation and pākeha and tauiwi need to transform the kāwanatanga sphere in different ways?

    • We need more research and theorising on the relational sphere. 

  • What would a transition pathway look like to a Māori Economy e.g. reciprocity economy, away from capitalism?

    • Diverse Economies 

    • Decommodification - aspects of social reproduction (ages care, child care etc)

  • How can we get Marilyn Waring taught in all economics classes? And power and history taught in economics?

During the discussion, Matt shared the following reports


Sally Hett
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