Māori to gather in Hastings for National Unity hui - a day after a nationwide call out for a disruptive Budget Day

Thousands attended a nationwide hui at Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia, on January 20, 2024. Photo / RNZ

By RNZ

Māori from across Aotearoa will gather in Hastings on Friday for the next Hui Taumata.

The hui is the next in a series which began at the start of the year when Kiingi Tuheitia called for a National Hui for Unity.

The mauri of that hui was then taken to Rātana Pā, Waitangi Day commemorations and continued to the National Iwi Chairs Forum (NICF) a month later.

Ngāti Kahungunu chairman Bayden Barber, who is hosting in association with NICF and other tribal authorities, said the hui at Omāhu Marae would seek to identify ways Māori could unify.

“One of the key themes spoken of at each of these hui was the need for iwi Māori to unify. We must come together as an irresistible force that cannot be ignored, no matter who is sitting in government.”

Māori must not lose momentum, Barber said.

“We need to take advantage of the energy and passion that is out there. The timing is right.”

Bayden Barber of Ngāti Kahungunu at the Treaty grounds on February 4, 2024. Photo / RNZ

In preparation for Friday’s hui, organisers had made documents and power points available on the Hui Taumata website.

The documents included discussion papers exploring the idea of a National Iwi Alliance which would function as an entity completely separately from the Crown.

Ngāti Toa Rangatira chief executive Helmut Modlik, who facilitated the NCIF wānanga in Rotorua in February, said the time for talking was done.

“We’ve done the talking. It’s now time to do the mahi and consider what kotahitanga could look like in the 21st century. If we are to truly achieve rangatiratanga as a people, we need to come together, but it needs form and function.”

His discussion paper, titled ‘Towards a Māori Nation’, set out what an initial model for a federation of iwi Māori could look like.

Barber said kotahitanga was key to gaining influence.

“We have numerous existing collectives within Te Ao Māori such as the National Iwi Chairs Forum, NZ Māori Council, Māori Womens Welfare League etc, and they all play an important role, however, we are yet to achieve the kotahitanga needed to truly influence.

“This Government continues to ignore us. We need to change that,” he said.

Toitū Te Tiriti has called for a nationwide activation day on Budget Day Thursday.

‘Prove the might of our economy’

Māori activist rōpu Toitū Te Tiriti has issued a national call to action asking Māori to go on strike this Thursday to “prove the might of our economy”.

A “Save the Date” post issued on Sunday announced a “National Activation #2″ would take place on Thursday to coincide with the reading of the Budget.

Details released on Monday said the goal was to demonstrate a unified response to the Government’s “assault on Tangata Whenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi” and included a “day of strike”, a “haka activation” in Gisborne.

Thousands of people responded to a national call to action shared by Te Pāti Māori in December last year with “Carkoi” and hīkoi organised in main centres and rural communities.

Organisers issued a series of posts asking “all Māori and Tangata Tiriti to GO ON STRIKE for the day to prove the might of our economy by disconnecting entirely from it”. It urged supporters to instead use the day to attend their nearest “rally/hikoi” in their region.

The National Urban Māori Authority and Te Kōhao Health would co-ordinate a “Carkoi” on the Southern Motorway in the Waikato Tainui region with further action being taken at key roundabouts in Hamilton later in the afternoon.

Toitū Te Tiriti - Tairāwhiti announced a “Haka Activation” event would take place in Gisborne tomorrow evening as part of the lead-up.

The post included audio of the haka Te Tiriti o Waitangi composed by the late Dr Ngapo Wehi and an open invitation to anyone wanting to participate in learning and performing it.

Tapeta Wehi of Te Wehi Haka would host the event at Tautua Village and organisers said the haka “carries a rich legacy and deep meaning still relevant for our mokopuna of today”.