Despite widespread support of collaborative and participatory approaches to environmental management internationally, understandings of such approaches are frequently simplistic and even idealised (McCallum, Hughey and Rixecker, 2007). The uncertain implementation of such approaches is especially relevant in the New Zealand context, where indigenous Māori communities have a deep connection to natural resources and a long history of grievances about being excluded from their management. This chapter uses the phronetic social science of Flyvbjerg (1998, 2001) as an analytical tool for analysing two case studies of recent participatory environmental management initiatives in New Zealand. The insights generated by the phronetic approach highlights the way dominant assumptions regarding expertise, knowledge, values and power may inadvertently impede welcome transitions into equitable participatory approaches.