Shane Te Pou: Waitangi week is an essential feature of NZ democracy

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks at the commemorations at Ruapekapeka Pa. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion

OPINION:

Waitangi week is an uneasy but essential feature in our democratic calendar and those who wish we would simply celebrate February 6 as a straightforward national celebration - "New Zealand Day", if you like - fundamentally don't get it.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is our collective work in progress. It's signing in 1840 is not a historical accomplishment worthy of commemoration. It was merely the commencement of a journey that is far from finished.

If disagreements over the state of progress make people frustrated or uncomfortable - or even angry - we should not recoil from the debate that ensues but embrace it.

"There will never be a time, if we are honest with ourselves," the Prime Minister said this week, "that we will stand here at Waitangi and say we have reached a point of perfection." Ardern hit on something important: if nothing else, Waitangi demands honesty with ourselves.

For some political leaders, the temptation to use Waitangi Day for grandstanding purposes has proven irresistible over the years - but this is the exception, not the rule. For most, in my experience, they bring to Waitangi an approach of humility and an openness to listening over talking, understanding over point-scoring. This doesn't win headlines, but it helps secure progress, however halting and inadequate.

Cabinet Minister Willie Jackson, who's been coming to Waitangi for nearly four decades, points to some positive changes.

"At the moment," Jackson told me on Wednesday, "there are still huge inequities in terms of where Māori are compared to the rest of New Zealand - but I have some hope, having come here for 36 years."

In particular, he sees improvement in the way our media cover Māori issues. "In the past", he says, "they feasted on failure."

Jackson's colleague, Peeni Henare, shares his tempered optimism. While he admits "there's still a lot of talking past each other" when it comes to Crown-Māori relations, he singles out the establishment of a Māori sovereign fund and the recent green light for Māori wards in local government as signs we can move past a debate focused on grievance to one focused on aspiration.

Peeni Henare and James Shaw are both optimistic about Crown-Māori relations. Photo / Mark Mitchell

When I asked Climate Change Minister and Greens leader James Shaw if he is optimistic about the state of race relations in Aotearoa, he offered a qualified "yes".

"My sense is that the trendline is improving, that there's been a steady shift in attitudes, particularly with the youngest generation," Shaw said.

While he doesn't hold out much hope for those who continue to embrace the talkback-amplified bigotry of John Banks and his ilk, he sees them as a declining force.

For MPs, he said: "It's really special that we come here for four or five days to reflect on who we are, where we've come from and where we're going, as well as our obligations under the Treaty, before we head back to Wellington to beat the crap out of each other for the rest of the year."

In 20 years' time, Shaw hopes Waitangi Day becomes a focal point for the nation as a whole for that kind of reflective thinking, "not just a day off".

Meanwhile, there's a vital new energy in the Far North, unlike anything I've seen over three decades of coming here. Provincial Growth Fund projects have kicked in. Horticulture and construction have more than filled the gap left by the Covid-struck tourism sector. There are plenty of jobs on offer. And a comprehensive Ngā Puhi settlement offers the hope of even greater economic momentum for the region.

Provincial Growth Fund projects have provided vital new energy in the Far North. Photo / Tania Whyte

Let's not kid ourselves, Māori continue to lead the way across negative social, economic and health indicators. There's so much work to do. But, slowly, the good faith efforts over decades of leaders and communities, Māori and Pākehā alike, are paying dividends. The John Banks outburst sounded less like an expression of mainstream political sentiment than a death rattle, more pathetic than anything else.

Steep challenges remain. One of the most immediate is the formation of the Māori Healthcare Authority. Given the disparity of health service delivery many are worried that the authority will simply be a feel-good touchpoint rather than a well-resourced organisation that will have allocate kaupapa services by Māori for Māori. It's in the weeds of initiatives like this where we can truly see whether good intentions translate into good policy and meaningful change.

Ara mai Te Tiriti o Waitangi E ai ki a Kawiti "waiho kia kakati te namu I te whārangi o te pukapuka ko reira ka tahuri atu ai". E kakati nei te motu kia ora mai Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Rise Te Tiriti o Waitangi!
It was Kawiti (the fighting chief of Kawakawa) said "wait until the sandfly nips at the pages of the book and at that time you must act". The country now grows restless for the Treaty of Waitangi to live ... Kawiti, the fighting chief of Kawakawa

• Shane Te Pou (Ngāi Tūhoe) is a company director at Mega Ltd, a commentator and blogger and a former Labour Party activist