Speech: NZ at a crossroads - Rahui Katene

Speech: NZ at a crossroads - Rahui Katene

13 July 2011

Five months ago, at the dawn service held in the Whare Runanga on the Treaty Grounds of Waitangi, Prime Minister John Key praised the courage and wisdom of those who signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, which gave New Zealand a founding document.

That same courage and wisdom is just as vital now, as we chart our future onwards, as it was at the time of the signing.

The reason why was articulated clearly in Ko Aotearoa Tenei – the report of the Waitangi Tribunal into claims concerning law and policy affecting Maori culture and identity- otherwise known as WAI 262.

In Justice Williams’ letter committing the report to Government’s good care, he described New Zealand as poised at a crossroads both in race relations and on the quest for a mature sense of national identity.

A crossroads offers choices –but as Justice Williams’ pointed out

“a future marked by interracial rancour must be emphatically rejected. We say that not just because to choose a path of conflict is morally wrong, nor even just because it is the anti-thesis of the Treaty’s vision. We say this because it would be economically and socially destructive for the country”.

It was, therefore, bitterly disappointing that only days after such an important statement, the ACT party launched a campaign solely intent on polarisation and inciting racial disharmony.

This was a campaign resorting to labels such as ‘apartheid Aotearoa’ or the ‘Maorification of Everything’ as a ploy to gain political appeal.

They got it terribly wrong.

The crossroads we face cannot lead to a dead-end street, where the only highway is Don’s way.

This is about the ongoing and continued existence of Maori as tangata whenua – the people of this land.

And let’s be perfectly clear – we are not going away – this is our home – and we are here to stay.

But our survival is not just about he tangata, he tangata, he tangata – as critical as this is.

Chapter two of Ko Aotearoa Tenei states the case :

“Protecting taonga species and matauranga Maori (Maori traditional knowledge) aids the survival of Maori culture itself. That is why these things are important enough to justify protection in law”.

The call of the WAI 262 claimants was to see matauranga Maori emerge from the domination of one cultural system – a Western worldview – and to be supported to flourish again in Maori hands. This is, upfront, a Treaty right – the protection of the rangatiratanga of our taonga katoa – all that we treasure.

We have a traditional saying, kei raro i nga tarutaru, ko nga tuhinga o nga tupuna – beneath the herbs and plants are the writings of the ancestors. It is a vivid emblem for how we understand ourselves to be interconnected with the flora and the fauna, and indeed the greater environment. This is who we are; this is our past, present, future.

But our survival as Maori is also important on other fronts.

The first is the critical role Maori culture plays in New Zealand’s national identity – and of course in our international reputation. As we prepare ourselves to surrender to the impact of the Rugby World Cup it is timely to remember that our unique Maori culture is a cornerstone of who we are as a country, and an authentic cultural experience is one of the key reasons tourists come to our shores.

But protection and preservation of things Maori are also basic citizenship rights. The modern state is driven by the twin imperatives of educating its citizens and sustaining their culture and heritage. This is as relevant to Maori culture and any other aspect of our unique national heritage.

Furthermore, Maori are becoming an increasingly significant proportion of New Zealand’s population. Whether it’s in the bedroom or the classroom, New Zealanders need to have the conversation, to forge the relationships that are now a vital part of our national identity and culture.

As we enter the crossroads, I am reminded, once more of the message from Ko Aotearoa Tenei for a “big and audacious vision, a perspective on a country of the future whose founding cultures have made a lasting kind of peace”

This is the Treaty partnership in action, the survival of Maori as a people a thousand years from now. It’s something I’m determined we make progress on – not just in my lifetime – not just in my generation – but much sooner in this term of Government.

ENDS