Water matters to us all, and there appears to be broad agreement that we need to better manage water use and to restore the health of waterways. At the same time there is significant national consensus that Māori rights and interests in water also need to be resolved. Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Te Mana o te Wai provide frameworks for recognising the rights, interests and responsibilities of Māori and all citizens of Aotearoa New Zealand to better own, govern, manage, use, and care for water bodies. 6. We have structured this Discussion Document in a Question / Answer format covering a broad range of interconnected law and economic issues specific to advancing respectful reconciliation of Māori rights and interests in water bodies. 7. While it is a collaborative effort, due to the split in subject areas, the legal content in this Document is the responsibility of Professor Ruru, while the economic content is the responsibility of Dr Meade. Dr Meade’s economic analysis takes no position on the nature and extent of any Māori rights and interests in water – rather it starts from the presumption that such rights and interests might be found to exist in specific water resources, and explores the economic implications arising in that case. 8. The views expressed in this Document are those of the authors and not of any institutions with which they are affiliated, or of any clients for whom they have acted or are acting for.