Understanding Kāwanatanga: A handbook of basic facts about te Tiriti o Waitangi and government

Who actually has power in Aotearoa? Where do decisions get made: about healthcare, education, housing, the cost of living? Most of us were never taught how government really works. This book changes that.

In just 32 pages, Understanding Kāwanatanga shows how laws and systems shape your everyday life, and where people like you can have real influence. You can understand it in under an hour.

Te Tiriti sets limits on government power. This book shows how that power works right now, bridging what you already know about Te Tiriti with the system that operates around it every day.

Before you vote, understand how decisions are actually made.

The third book in the #1 bestselling Understanding Te Tiriti series by human rights lawyer and educator Roimata Smail. Written in her signature clear, accessible style — short enough to read in an afternoon, beautiful enough to keep close at hand, with original artwork by artbyngawai, design by Sarah Healey, and TKP design by Noelle Jakeman.

Inspired by the unprecedented public engagement with the Treaty Principles Bill and the author's trip to the United Nations in 2025, this book grows from a hopeful truth: people are beginning to understand their power. Understanding Kāwanatanga is designed to deepen it.