Kiingi Tūheitia addresses the landmark hui and calls for hope in light of Government policies believed to threaten Māori. Photo / RNZ / Ella Stewart
The Māori King is urging tangata whenua to have hope in unifying Aotearoa as he concludes a national hui centred on addressing contentious government policies set to impact Māori.
While his speech to more than 10,000 people at Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia was largely optimistic, Kiingi Tūheitia criticised the Government’s Treaty Principles Bill, which aimed to redefine the Treaty principles, and called for Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) to be written into legislation so politicians “can’t change nothing”.
He also appeared to caution against violent protests in light of suggestions from some, such as Labour’s Willie Jackson, who believed the Government’s intention to strip te reo Māori from the public service, ditch the Māori Health Authority and alter the influence of the Treaty could lead to “hikois from hell” and civil unrest akin to the 1981 Springbok tour.
“The best protest we can do right now is: be Māori. Be who we are, live our values, speak our reo, care for our mokopuna [grandchildren], our awa (rivers), our maunga (mountains), just be Māori,” Kiingi Tūheitia said.
“We need to be united first and then we decide our future.”
The landmark hui was not a welcoming environment for the three representatives of the Government who attended: Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka, Māori Affairs select committee chairman Dan Bidois and committee deputy chairwoman Rima Nakhle.
The three National MPs had to listen to iwi leaders and indigenous rights experts take to the atea - the courtyard in front of the wharenui - and claim the coalition Government was “part of a global movement of white supremacy” while some threatened protest and even secession from the Crown if change wasn’t forthcoming.
Potaka said he was surprised by the white supremacy claim and believed among the “confronting debates”, there was an “absolute focus on unity”.
Today’s rare hui, convened by the Kiingitanga, saw the biggest audience at Tūrangawaewae Marae in almost 20 years. Prior to the King’s address, whānau could listen and participate in several workshops with themes including national identity, the Treaty, Māori sovereignty and enhancing the voice of rangatahi (young people).
Kiingi Tūheitia told the crowd they should be “proud” of the kōrero today, which would extend into upcoming Māori celebrations at Rātana and Waitangi.
However, he impressed the importance of action following the debate.
“We need a way forward that brings kotahitanga (unity) to all Aotearoa, the way forward needs to bring peace and unity to everyone.”
He said real improvements needed to be realised for Māori in employment levels, education and housing.
“These issues are bigger than politics.”
He didn’t make specific references to any proposed legislation but did indicate his strong condemnation for the Treaty Principles Bill, created by Act and agreed to in its coalition with National.
“There’s no principles, the Treaty is written. That’s it.”
The King expectedly focused on preserving the Treaty and warned against accepting its use in the judicial system as an accurate interpretation.
“Don’t look to the courts to understand the Treaty, look to the marae.”
Nevertheless, his final message was of hope and trust.
“Today is just day one - hold onto the hope, believe in you, believe in us, … as we find a pathway forward.”
Scores of cars, vans and buses filled the streets around the marae from the early hours of the morning ahead of a powhiri at 9am. Thousands massed outside the gates in anticipation - cloud cover shielded the crowd from the sun but did lead to quite muggy conditions.
Several marquees had been set up inside and outside the marae grounds which housed the workshops and large televisions for those not willing to stand around the atea.
Paraone Gloyne (Ngāti Raukawa ki Wharepūhunga, Ngāti Maniapoto) was among the first to speak and appeared to challenge attendees by questioning whether Māori complacency had contributed to the current Government being elected, all the while crediting those who had shown up.
After speeches from leaders from various visiting iwi, Archbishop Don Tamihere of the Anglican church spoke, recalling how the late Queen Elizabeth II was once told by another bishop in Waitangi how the Crown was not honouring the Treaty.
“Here we are 34 years later wondering if the message needs to remain the same.
“Because somebody, somewhere, has made the political calculation that they can vilify te iwi Māori, that they can demonise te iwi Māori, that they can renegotiate our existence and the taonga that you hold dear, knowing that it will cost them nothing and yet [for] te iwi Maori, it will cost us everything.”
He believed responding in kind was not the answer.
“We could fill ourselves with the same bitterness and with the same resentment and the same negativity expressed to us by people that desire to vilify and demonise and to marginalise us even more ... but in the end, all we would do is become the same as them.”
Indigenous rights and environment law expert Dayle Takitimu was the first to reference white supremacy when she took over from Tamihere.
“[Parliament] is a house of white supremacy because it is predicated on the doctrine of discovery, which is absolutely racist and looks to divide the world between conquering colonial powers.
“If anything, this white supremacist-underpinned Government has shown us that we will galvanize around ourselves and our mokopuna [grandchildren] and remind ourselves that Wellington is not our salvation. It never has been and it never will be.”
Both Bidois and Nakhle watched as Takitimu made her claims. Neither clapped along with the crowd at the end and when asked for his thoughts, Bidois - who is Māori - said: “That’s democracy, not everybody is going to agree.”
Ngāti Porou’s Tina Ngata, part of an expert panel discussing Māori sovereignty and the Treaty, echoed Takitimu by claiming white supremacy in the United States often filtered through to New Zealand.
The atea also heard submissions from various iwi on what position Māori should have in light of the Government’s policies.
Annette Sykes, of Rotorua iwi Te Arawa, called for the Treaty and He Whakaputanga - New Zealand’s Declaration of Independence - to be confirmed as the “constitutional framework for Aotearoa” while also delivering a challenge to Potaka.
“We will unite together in a range of ways to achieve opposition to that from people like the man that was sitting over there, the MP of the National Party Tama Potaka, you need to say to Māori MPs that their whakapapa Māori (Māori heritage) means they have a constitutional obligation in Parliament.
“Racial hatred will not be tolerated and any denial of our constitutional statements will be met with protest, with iwi strategy to assure ourselves that we remain as tangata whenua in this country.”
The iwi also restated its regular position in favour of seceding from the Government if policies that undermined Māori sovereignty were pursued.
Potaka said it was natural to have such debate on the atea and accepted there was concern among Māori.
“There’s a real strong aspiration for unity and many people here today feel that the country isn’t been unified in a manner that they feel well with.”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon did not attend the hui, saying last week it was not a place for politicians. Several members of Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori were in attendance. No MPs from Act or New Zealand First were seen.
Potaka didn’t believe it was a missed opportunity not having Luxon there and said he would be reporting back to the PM on how the day was “very positive”, focused on unity and had “constructive messages” for the Government.
He considered the white supremacy claims to be a “surprise” and “possibly premature”.
“Certainly that’s not the space that I’ve operated in or I’ve seen demonstrated in the mahi that we’ve been doing together as a coalition Government.”
Jackson echoed Potaka in dismissing those claims and believed Tamihere’s comments were more reflective of what Māori felt.
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
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