The Association of State and Indigenous Law: A Case Study in 'Legal Association'

Legal systems are typically marked out by jurisdictional boundaries that exclude the operation of external legal norms except where these are explicitly incorporated. Yet legal systems are frequently engaged in 'legal associations,' the process of looking to another legal system in order to formulate rules and standards. This article examines the dimensions of legal associations that may occur between state law and the law of indigenous groups within the state, using the state–indigenous association in New Zealand to illustrate the range of associative models and their normative implications.