I’ve been to Waitangi many times over the years, but this year was particularly important because Aotearoa’s founding document – Te Tiriti o Waitangi – is under attack from the new Government.
The turnout at Waitangi was absolutely massive this year. It was a clear display of unity between Māori and Pākehā to honour Te Tiriti and a strong pushback against those in Government who seek to undermine it and create division.
It was a privilege to be there with Greenpeace Aotearoa to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The Government’s proposed Treaty Principles Bill attempts to fundamentally change Te Tiriti, and I believe that we must all stand with tangata whenua to push back strongly against that attempt.
Key parts of the proposed Bill were leaked, and it included three ‘principles’, modelled on the three articles of Te Tiriti, which entirely removed references to Māori. The Ministry of Justice officials concluded that the bill was at odds with the text of Te Tiriti. This is what they said:
“The Bill will ..change the nature of the principles from reflecting a relationship akin to a partnership between the Crown and Māori to reflecting the relationship the Crown has with all citizens of New Zealand. This is not supported by either the spirit of the Treaty or the text of the Treaty.”
The proposal to remove references to Māori from the Treaty Principles is extremely regressive. We live in a country which was violently colonised, with the land and resources taken by force from the people who lived here. There can be no way forward which does not acknowledge this reality and attempt to find a way forward together. Te Tiriti provides a framework for that journey.
It’s no coincidence that this is also the most anti-nature government we’ve had in decades. The forces pushing against indigenous self-determination and the right to protect the natural world as taonga are the same forces that have no regard for the importance of the natural world. And so the fight to protect nature from pollution and destruction is intertwined with the struggle for indigenous justice.
By attending Waitangi this year, we wanted to make it clear that Greenpeace Aotearoa is standing on the side of those who wish to protect and invest further in the Tiriti relationship. A few years ago Greenpeace included support for Te Tiriti into our constitution, and we stand by that decision.
We are so very proud to have fought alongside Te Whānau ā Apanui and many other hapū and iwi to end deep sea oil exploration. As we are proud to have worked through the courts alongside Ngāti Ruanui and Ngā Rauru to win against seabed mining and with Ngāruahine to push back against the expansion of the fertiliser industry in Taranaki. We treasure our relationship with Ngāti Kura, who are guardians of the Rainbow Warrior memorial at Matauri Bay, and likewise our long relationship with Ngāti Whātua here in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. And there are so many other battle stories in the middle of this giant climate and biodiversity crisis in which we are allies to iwi and hapū of Aotearoa.
When you stand shoulder to shoulder to defend Papatūānuku, you remember who stood there with you.
