Key Māori leader Rahui Papa, Education Minister Erica Stanford hold joint press conference despite opposite views on Treaty issue

In a perhaps unexpected move, iwi leader Rahui Papa and Education Minister Erica Stanford put on a united front on Monday as they held a joint press conference addressing controversial recent changes to education policy.

Both stuck to their opposing views on the recent move to remove Te Tiriti o Waitangi obligations from schools, but inferred now was the time for constructive dialogue after “talking past each other for a little while”.

Both were united in wanting to lift Māori achievement with Papa saying the parties agreed on the goal but not necessarily how to get there.

The forum and the Government have long locked horns over policies that have attracted strong criticism from parts of Māoridom who believe the Government is anti-Māori. This is a charge the Government rejects.

The changes, which remove an explicit obligation on school boards to give effect to the Te Tiriti o Waitangi, have been met with much objection. Soon after the changes were announced, more then 1000 schools issued statements confirming they would continue to give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Stanford received a petition, signed by thousands of people, outside Parliament on Wednesday that called for the treaty obligations to be reinstated. She was praised for her decision to front the small crowd of teachers and union members and the odd heckler, who briefly booed her as she spoke.

As she stood on the steps of Parliament, Stanford was flanked by esteemed Māori leaders, including Dame Georgina Kingi and her “good friend” Dr Reuben Collier.

Stanford and Papa held a joint media stand-up inside Parliament directly afterwards. Stanford defended Cabinet’s decision to remove the obligations which she claims allows schools to be “laser focused” on core achievement issues, while Papa said the petition was “an outcry of the people”.

“As we focus on Māori student achievement, these things, these chatters on the side don’t help us to be able to focus. We are here today to implore the minister to raise Te Tiriti o Waitangi to the highest level of the legislation.”

Papa said he felt as though his concerns had been well-received by the minister after “we have been talking past each other for a little while”.

“You can have the marches, you can have the protests, and you can have all those things, and all of those are valid but actually sitting down at the table and nutting out very very important pathways forward is equally important.

“We are never going to agree to everything 100%. We agree to the goal, how we get there we may have to have some negotiated discussions.

“We see sitting down with ministers and senior officials with iwi, with peak body representatives, that might pose really great pathways to the resolution of the issues.”

Asked how he would respond if the Government did not take on the advice of rethinking the policy, Papa said: “That depends on [how] the minister [works] through these issues – if it is viewed that Te Tiriti o Waitangi is being held up in the highest regard, as the minister has pledged to do, then the working relationship can continue."

Stanford said the changes were “never about putting the Treaty of Waitangi in question and its importance in the Education Act”.

“It already remains – very important in Section 32 and 4d – which outlines my obligation as a minister and us as the Crown to make sure we are doing all we need to do to raise Māori achievement.”

It is understood Stanford met with the Iwi Chairs Forum before the petition handover.

Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.