The Kīngitanga believes a conversation about national identity is necessary, if not easy. Photo / John Miller
The Kīngitanga believes a conversation about national identity is necessary, if not easy. Photo / John Miller
OPINION
On the 165th anniversary of the Kīngitanga movement last year, Māori leaders urged Kīngi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII to bring a message of unity and hope to the nation.
In response, Kīngi Tuheitia issued a royal proclamation for a national hui to be held at Tūrangawaewaethis weekend.
The kaupapa (purpose) of the hui is for Māori and non-Māori to discuss issues of national identity and unity, with mana motuhake and Treaty of Waitangi as the basis for those discussions.
These issues are not new. In 1995′s Great New Zealand Argument: Ideas about Ourselves, Russell Brown wrote: “Conflicting beliefs about our national identity play a part in almost all the debates of our time …” While other countries celebrate national days without complication, “Waitangi Day remains an annual festival of unanswered questions”.
In the months ahead, we will try to find some answers through a national conversation about nationhood — something that was missing from the 2015-16 flag referendum overseen by then Prime Minister John Key. For Māori, that conversation must start at mana motuhake and grow from there.
The conversation will need to grapple with questions about what it means to be a New Zealander, what it means to be a bicultural nation, and what rights and responsibilities flow from the Treaty of Waitangi for our partners. And how those rights work with our mana motuhake, which has always been here.
The Kīngitanga believes a conversation about national identity is necessary, if not easy. Questions of identity can be unsettling and emotionally charged. Such questions cannot be avoided if we’re to forge a successful future together. It will take courage and honesty to acknowledge the wrongs of the past, so that we can move confidently into the future.
King Tuheitia flanked by his sons Whatumoana (left) and Korotangi Paki. Photo / NZME
Te iwi Māori are ready for this conversation. Nothing to fear here from us! We are ready to play our part in fulfilling the promises of the Treaty of Waitangi. We are ready to lead through mana motuhake.
Mana motuhake is about self-determination and self-reliance, but not at the exclusion of others. Throughout history, Māori have proven the benefits and beneficence of mana motuhake — opening our marae and our hearts to people in need whether from a pandemic or a natural disaster. Over and over, we show our hospitality because that is our way.
We will take this same approach of mana motuhake to the conversation about national identity and unity this weekend and beyond.
To bring a fresh perspective to these discussions, the Kīngitanga has invited rangatahi (young people) to help chart a pathway to our future. They are our future leaders who will inherit the country we leave behind, which we hope will be a peaceful and prosperous one.
The Kīngitanga and all of te iwi Māori are ready to offer solutions and hope for the future of our nation.
Māori can lead for all, and we are prepared to do that. That’s what we will be discussing on Saturday at Tūrangawaewae Marae.
“Tākiri tū te kotahitanga,
Tākiri tū te mana motuhake.”
Ngira Simmonds is the Kīngitanga’s chief of staff and adviser to Kīngi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII.
