I am very proud of what Aotearoa NZ has achieved in addressing, and to a certain extent, redressing the sins of our colonial past. Believe me, they were sins of monumental proportions.
I do not consider the Treaty of Waitangi as our founding document, as to do so would acknowledge that our nation was founded, in my view, on deceit, land theft and outright murder, as is evidenced by the actions of the Crown's forces at Rangiawhia, Orakau, the aftermath of Pukehinahina, and of course, Parihaka. Each a disgrace that no amount of verbal Janola can cleanse.
However, I am profoundly happy for the events of February 6, 1840, as without them I wonder if we would ever have had the Waitangi Tribunal Act in 1975. This to me marked our true "measure" as a nation; the desire and ability to stand up and say "we got it badly wrong and for that we are sorry".
The subsequent iwi settlements, complicated as they are, in conjunction with the fisheries transfers of control (I won't mention the Foreshore and Seabed legislation) have been a game changer, hugely for the better, for Maori and all the people of Aotearoa NZ.
I am in awe of what Waikato-Tainui, Ngai Tahu and Ngati Whatua are achieving, and the continuing roll out of outstanding leaders that keep coming forward. Goodness, there are still the Ngapuhi and Maniapoto settlements to come, all great news for the future.
However, I wish to make clear that as wonderful as these settlements are, and despite the effective way the iwi that have settled are dealing with their settlements, there is a small but very real group of people that iwi will never, in the near to medium term, be able to assist, who are in the main victims that the Waitangi Treaty settlements acknowledge, but the heralded settlements do not reach. These are the so called "urban Maori".
My six years with Waipareira Trust (2000-2006), the years that I have been alongside He Korowai Trust in Kaitaia, and my 15 years with Te Wananga o Aotearoa and its predecessor, have proved to me that there is a large population of predominantly Maori that have no affiliations to iwi as, in the main, they are 3rd and 4th generation Maori that suffered from the move to cities and away from their roots and support mechanisms during the 1950s.
Urbanisation created nuclear families for Maori, which these people had never before been confronted with. It introduced a "freedom", without kaumatua and extended whanau guidance. Gangs were formed, alcohol and drugs entered the mix, and in this mess, in the GIs, Otara and West Auckland, lived those unconnected Maori who, over time, as another generation came along, became more and more disconnected.
Auckland, being the destination of choice, following the jobs, has confronted this for years, hence Te Whanau o Waipareira, and Manukau Urban Maori Authority. Other parts of New Zealand, including Tauranga, have until recently been relatively immune from the problems that many urban Maori face.
Iwi clearly have a place, but most are still finding their feet economically, and all are doing the right thing by building their capacity, structures and infrastructure. In my opinion, apart from Waikato Tainui, Ngai Tahu and Ngati Whatua, (who are starting to look at housing for iwi members) it will be years before most other iwi are able to look at social housing for their own people, let alone those outside of the tent, such as disconnected urban Maori.
Over the years, wherever possible I have tried to encourage those not connected to their whakapapa to connect; but this is a daunting prospect for those who only know that their people may have come from "up north" or the "east coast", or "down the line somewhere". The people we deal with at Te Tuinga Whanau Support Services in Greerton just turn and walk away if we suggest they go back to their own people. They don't know who they are, through no fault of their own.
Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely for iwi and the outstanding advancement of them in NZ, but I understand that their mandate is to look after their people, and it will be years before those who have no idea which marae they are associated with, and feel left out, can be considered by most iwi.
I am really of the opinion that most of Tauranga's population including civic and bureaucratic leaders do not appreciate this, and I am fearful that, with the best of intentions, many will feel that they are discharging their obligations and addressing all issues concerning Maori if they deal with iwi.
This painfully is not the case. We at Te Tuinga Whanau Support Services and the likes of Te Whanau o Waipareira and Manukau Urban Maori Authority have been set up to address those not represented by iwi, but who are human beings with real and desperate needs. Their voices are entitled to be heard at the top table.
Now I wish finally to emphasise that what we face at the support service is not "just a Maori issue". It affects all kinds of people who are victims of rising house prices, rental costs, and the widening gap between those who have and those that do not. I am addressing this to try and ensure that those who think that iwi can talk for all Maori maybe do not understand what is the reality.
Dr Bruce Bryant is a senior lecturer in accounting, auditing and taxation at Manukau Institute of Technology, chair of Auckland Regional Migrants Service Trust and Te Tuinga Whanau Support Trust, and an independent director of Core Education Limited.