Tracing and unsettling path dependency: Creating space for Indigenous knowledge in river management

The impacts of climate change and intensified development on floodplains increase the risks posed by flood and emphasize the importance of understanding both the causes of, and mechanisms for, breaking path dependency. Despite incremental changes, decision-makers remain largely “locked-in” to past policies and actions that favor engineered approaches to flood risk. This research is an archival study of the history of flood management and path dependency within Aotearoa New Zealand (hereafter referred to as Aotearoa NZ). Such in-depth empirical historical studies offer significant insights into decision-making pathways, which can assist in identifying the factors that contribute to, and help overcome path dependency.