A Tiriti Honouring Aotearoa

Nā Hilda Halkyard-Harawira (Ngā Iwi o Muriwhenua, Ngāpuhi, me Ngāti Whātua)

Tēna koutou, e tauira mā,

All you clever students and kaiako who attend the universities need to be proactive in your planning as the future decision makers of Aotearoa. Don't think you can just plan your life. It is tough in Aotearoa for the majority of people especially with all the drastic cuts to core services. So how can you, the intelligentsia, shape the direction of Aotearoa and find equitable outcomes so people can go about their daily lives without getting tense over Te Tiriti? 

Can you discuss amongst your friends how you would develop a framework for a circular economy that embraces He Whakaputanga and te Tiriti o Waitangi that can meet the needs of all people? How will Aotearoa economies need to adjust to the world upheavals and survive the tariff wars being imposed ? 

The defeat of the Treaty Principles Amendment Act (112 votes to 11 this month), has wasted a lot of people's time, energy and resources that could have been spent on more deserving projects. The divisive damage of this bill will be reflected in the next general election which may come earlier than 2026. 

I recommend bringing forward by 10 years the inclusion of He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the constitution of Aotearoa by 2030. Why are Māori expected to wait 200 years until 2040 for the rest of the country to embrace te Tiriti? Even today 185 years is far too long. 

To answer the question of what a Tiriti honouring Aotearoa looks like, 

A Tiriti honouring Aotearoa is one where it is clearly understood that Ngāpuhi , Muriwhenua and other Iwi never ceded sovereignty. To keep it simple, the northern tribes and others only signed the Māori Tiriti. 

He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi are embedded in the constitution of Aotearoa to recognise the unique foundational agreements of this “wenua rangatira” sovereign nation and the Crown.

• He Wakaputanga is recognised as a Declaration of Independence by a sovereign nation to the world. 

• Te Tiriti o Waitangi legitimises the role of kawanatanga in Aotearoa to make and execute laws, and administer public services for all citizens. It also guarantees Māori the rights of tino rangatiratanga or autonomy to make decisions for themselves and set tikanga over their whenua, resources, reo, hui, income, generation schemes, and institutions. 

The dual domains of kawanatanga and tino rangatiratanga need to intersect with each other to ensure:

• Either a dual or shared governance structure, where Māori and Crown representatives govern together or;

• For the meantime Kawanatanga divests responsibilities for Māori to manage/govern their interests and operational resourcing is allocated equitably

• The widespread teaching of both texts of te Tiriti and the Treaty as well as the history of colonisation

• Māori own 5% of the land. The Crown and public can’t have any more 

Measures of success in Tai Tokerau 

Māori are 53% of the Far North population and in some remote areas we are 100%. He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti of Waitangi are a normal part of our day to day lives, we’re just waiting for a political shift of thinking and action. 

Constitutional transformation 

The country would shift from a colonial constitutional system to one that embeds te Tiriti and tikanga Māori at its heart (as proposed in Matike Mai). This could include a dual or shared governance structure, where Māori and Crown representatives govern together. 

Genuine Partnership, co-governance, collaboration, co-investment and co-design are standard ways of operating 

• Skilled Māori operational staff need to be reflected in partnership bodies; 

• There would be no poll on Māori wards; there would be Māori seats in every local council until such time as Māori no longer need them; 

• Hapu and Iwi are resourced to read and deliberate on all the resource consent applications; this would save time and legal costs in non notification court cases; 

• There would be no buildings, easements or developments on wāhi tapu; 

• Lands returned in Iwi treaty settlements should not be thwarted by zoning restrictions; 

• Local councils could return all unused reserves to appropriate hapu- save some funds and 30% time in Waitangi Tribunal cases; 

• Local councils would allocate contracts to local businesses where mana whenua are employed or would benefit from the mahi; 

• Working groups consisting of hapu and local community to manage the development and upgrades Wastewater treatment plants would be standard practice to meet environmental considerations for all; 

• Water tanks and roofing connections subsidy schemes would be available for drought prone areas in Tai Tokerau; 

• The ten year delays on papakainga housing would be reduced to 18 months to ensure a housing supply for unprecedented growth; 

• Partnership solar power businesses would be ideal for reducing the power bills and a boost for the local economy;

• Small business incentives would be supported in the local economy;

• If a company is planning development- how many mana whenua will benefit?

Tino rangatiratanga is not a distant goal, and is evident in everyday life. 

• Māori are listened to. 

• Whānau Māori are able to fulfil tikanga obligations to Te Ao Māori. 

• Māori endorsed groups make decisions and set tikanga over their whenua, resources, reo, hui, income generation schemes and institutions. 

• Accordingly, Māori can expect to reach their full potential wherever they are.

Mātauranga Māori institutions, experts and research teams work are recognised for their expertise and the capacity to improve the standard of lifestyles. 

• Te Reo Māori and tikanga are normalised in everyday life - reo does not survive in a vacuum. Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa Māori, Kura a Iwi, Wānanga Māori have a parallel pathway to achieving educational success and are resourced to do so - see the Wai 1718 Waitangi Tribunal report.

• Business management plans are developed to: 

  • upgrade all 45 year Kohanga Reo tin sheds to new buildings within 5 years by 2030; 

  • fund and establish 4 new Kura Kaupapa Māori in Tai Tokerau and be developed within the next 2 years; 

  • Build modern pensioner flats for 23% of the Far North population that would free up housing for whānau;

• Hauora agencies are funded to deliver medical services to their communities - see the Wai 2575 Waitangi Tribunal report. 

• Iwi radio, television content, marae, and other reo Māori settings are resourced equitably and the pursuit of advanced levels of learning are commended. 

• Mātauranga Māori can work in tandem with Western knowledge and are equally recognised and equitably resourced in areas of education, health, governance, and science. 

• Local stories and iwi histories are taught in schools. 

Taiao Ora — kaitiakitanga and preservation of the environment are standard practice - see the Wai 262 Waitangi Tribunal Report.

• A circular economy is promoted 

• Reforestation, clean water, and respect for the mauri of all living things are followed in local, regional and national policies and settings. 

• Hapu and Iwi Taiao rangers are respected in all areas 

• Rāhui are respected to regenerate kaimoana stocks 

• Speed limits are imposed on beaches to protect kaimoana beds 

• Income can be derived from eco tourism 

• Waste minimisation management is promoted in kura and communities 

• All boaties and visiting ships to undergo hull cleanage

• Funding for the removal and eradication of bio hazards be awarded to community clean up groups 

Equity is achieved — when partnership decision making is exercised to ensure there are equitable outcomes for all people in the community, not just one sector. 

Māori success factors would be: 

a) Reo Māori and tikanga are normalised,

b) Māori workers earn as much as their counterparts, 

c) Whanau Ora services to continue with appropriate agencies; 

d) Hapu and Iwi would manage incentives for able bodied beneficiaries to fulfil 2 days appropriate community service to reduce mental ill health and loneliness and to build hauora; 

e) Māori children want to attend kura because their learning is meaningful, teachers are nice and have high expectations; lunch is available; there would be no need for truancy officers;

f) All school leavers can access future training for work locally or within the region; 

g) Incentives for whānau to own their own homes in towns or in their rohe & pensioners to have access to nice housing; 

h) Māori have good access to medical and dental care - currently 2000 People in Kaitaia are not registered with medical services and there is only one dentist in Kaitaia. 

i) Māori live as long and healthy as everyone else. 

j) Tar sealed roads in front of 10 Kohanga Reo and 58 marae in Far North by 2030

k) Court reports are published in the local paper to deter stupid behaviour and proceeds from crime fund drug rehabilitation programs

l) Limit local pokies, vape shops and alcohol outlets as well as increased funding for upgrade of community playgrounds and facilities 

All cultures have a sense of belonging — I live in an area where I am not mana whenua. It has its benefits and downsides. There are less expectations of me, but I still like to be able to contribute in a meaningful way without being a hōhā. I also understand that my contribution is just to tautoko and to facilitate information sharing about matters that could impact on their marae and their lives, that mana whenua make decisions about what affects them. 

So the most important thing is that mana whenua are acknowledged, and other Māori, tangata tiriti, tauiwi, and tangata moana feel a sense of welcome and belonging in their local area and Aotearoa. 

How do we achieve a Tiriti centred Aotearoa ? 

1. Kaua e moumou taima - Don’t waste our time - we can make a plan together and stick to it. 

2. Kia Mōhio, Kia Marama: Ongoing purposeful Tiriti education about the development of Aotearoa and local histories led by appropriate experts and not Māori haters. 

• Normalise te reo, tikanga, and Māori ways of being in everyday life. 

• Celebrate Māori success in arts, sports, business, and leadership. 

3. Whiria He Whakaputanga me Te Tiriti o Waitangi hei ture tūāpapa o Aotearoa - Embed our founding covenants in the Constitution of Aotearoa as proposed by Matike Mai by 2030 

• The ultimate is a dual or shared governance structure, where Māori and Crown representatives govern together; but in the meantime while people deliberate sharing power, on a lower tier Kawanatanga divests responsibilities for Māori to manage/govern their interests. Operational resourcing is also allocated equitably. 

4. Whakahokia te rangatiratanga 

• Restore lands, water rights, and other taonga to iwi, hapū, and whānau. 

• Economic reparations, redress and reinvestment in Māori-led health, education, justice, and development systems.

5. Māori friendly Institutions 

• Government, schools, hospitals, and media integrating Māori values and leadership. 

• Embedding tikanga and kaupapa Māori as core frameworks, not add-ons. 

• Employ Māori staff to operationalise Māori friendly institutions 

What is everyone’s role? To make it happen: 

● Educate yourself and others 

● Make a plan to tautoko the above suggestions and action it 

● Make space for Māori leadership 

● Be allies in creating an inclusive Aotearoa 

● Me aroha tētahi ki tētahi- be kind to each other