Iwi Strategic Planning - Tariana Turia Speech
22 February 2003 Speech Notes
Iwi Strategic Planning
Speech to Te Rünanga O Raukawa, Tatum Park, Waikawa
E nga mana, e nga reo o tenei rohe, tena koutou
katoa.
Ngati Raukawa, karanga mai, karanga mai, mihi
mai.
It is a great privilege to be asked to attend and
address you today.
The privilege lies in the fact that
Ngäti Raukawa are exemplars and leaders in strategic
planning.
In 1975 the Raukawa Trustees put their stake in
the ground with Whakatupuranga Rua Mano.
This weekend
you are once again setting the foundation for Ngäti Raukawa,
albeit for a shorter period.
Whakatupuranga Rua
Mano
The aim of Whakatupuranga Rua Mano was to assist the
iwi and hapü of the confederation to prepare for the
twenty-first century. It is useful to remind ourselves of
the four key principles of Whakatupuranga Rua Mano, which
were described in 1975:
1. That the marae is our principal home and, as such, it must be well serviced and maintained and thoroughly respected. It is the place where distinguished manuhiri (visitors) are to be extended hospitality and where extended families meet for significant events.
2. That the language, as a deeply treasured taonga left by the Mäori ancestors of New Zealand, is to be protected from further decline and our activities must guarantee revival.
3. That the people are our wealth and that their development and retention is more important that the development and retention of any other tangible resource.
4. That we will strive to govern ourselves.
(That all decisions of significance to the confederation and
its people be subject to initiatives or responses from and
close scrutiny by the Trustees or their
representatives.)
Whakatupuranga Rua Mano is outstanding
because the visions were;
- so simple but far sighted for
the time,
- absolutely achievable,
- still valid,
and
- determined by the needs and visions of the Iwi and
hapu.
Tino Rangatiratanga
The vital link between
Whakatupuranga Rua Mano and what you are undertaking is the
capacity of Ngai Raukawa to be self-determining.
I firmly
believe that tangata whenua succeed where they identify and
determine their own direction.
It is absolutely vital for
Raukawa to determine your own directions, objectives and
strategies for achieving them.
Government’s response to
self determination
It is clear that mainstream services
haven’t worked for Mäori.
Policies which were designed to
assist Mäori have failed when they did not take into account
the traditional whänau, hapü and iwi structures of society,
in which power comes from the people on the ground.
I
believe that it is time to recognise and support whänau,
hapü and iwi to find their own solutions.
The government
has a commitment to supporting self determined Maori
development, e.g. “the purpose of the state sector strategy
for Mäori capacity building was to mobilize and co-ordinate
“whole of government” support …. for responding effectively
to the needs and priorities of whänau, hapü, iwi, Mäori
organizations and Mäori communities”.
Government agencies
can resource where necessary, but our development is in our
hands, and we must take the initiative.
That is why it
is heartening to see you all here today…. participating and
voicing your opinions.
Project Tu Rangatira - a Local
Level Solutions project
The Government’s response to
needs identified earlier by Ngäti Raukawa was to approve
funding for Project Tu Rangatira.
The approved project
was for Te Rünanga O Raukawa to employ and train hapu
coordinators who will be responsible for assisting hapu to
access social, economic and cultural services by providing a
rapid response system of whänau support.
It is very
heartening to see that the outcome sought is the provision
of whänau support and development.
I am very keen to see
some movement on this project. If the project needs to
change from what was originally identified then please work
with Te Puni Kokiri to find a way to make those
changes.
Be aware, though, that if the project changes
too much from the original then we may need Cabinet
approval.
Whänau and hapu development
I think the
challenge for the runanga today is how to develop and
strengthen the whänau of Ngäti Raukawa.
Whänau are the
foundation of Maori, they are the source of identity,
security, support and strength.
Whänau development is
where you can make the most significant differences in the
situation for Maori in the future, for our tamariki and
mokopuna.
Project Tu Rangatira seeks to support and
develop whänau and is a great step; let’s get it working.
The key is to get past just supporting whänau in need,
and to work with them to identify and develop their
aspirations. The aspirations of whanau will provide
strategic direction for the iwi as a whole.
Let us not
forget that in the past, our iwi functioned quite well,
thank you very much, without trust boards, incorporated
societies or statutory bodies!
Historically, those
bodies were established to facilitate iwi dealings with the
Crown, so officialdom had the corporate entity and ‘legal
personality’ that they needed to engage with us. Iwi
authorities have mediated between the Crown and the people
on the ground, and delivered to the people whatever benefits
have been offered by a relationship with the Crown.
However, to get the financial and other rewards of those
relationships, iwi authorities and Maori service providers
have to respond to the Crown’s policy priorities and
accountability requirements.
In some cases, the needs of
the people on the ground have come second, and I can think
of several effective organisations that have collapsed under
the burden of their obligations to the Crown, or the
contradictions of their dual accountability.
While our
corporate iwi authorities can do corporate planning very
well, our whanau are not part of a corporate culture. They
are 100% indigenous. That is their great strength, and their
value to our future.
Article 23 of the UN Draft
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples says:
“Indigenous peoples have the right to determine and
develop priorities and strategies for exercising their right
to development. In particular, indigenous peoples have the
right to determine and develop all health, housing and other
economic and social programmes affecting them and, as far as
possible, to administer such programmes through their own
institutions.”
Let us build on our traditional
structures and values, and recognise and promote customary
leadership, to ensure our cultural integrity.
Whanau
planning is indigenous planning. Without the active
involvement of whanau, iwi organisations are like houses
built on shifting sands. If the runanga can find ways to
broaden the involvement of whänau and hapu in planning and
development, then you can expect to consolidate and entrench
the changes that have happened within your iwi in the last
25 years, and strengthen your foundations for the future.
Conclusion
I spoken about just a few of the fabulous
things that you have done and opportunities ahead of you.
- Whakatupuranga Rua Mano was incredibly far-sighted and
successful.
- Project Tu Rangatira is an opportunity for
whanau and hapu development determined by you.
- This
planning process also offers tremendous opportunities.
-
The challenge today is how the runanga can continue to
develop and strengthen the whänau and hapu of Ngäti Raukawa.
I’d like to quote from the 1990 Human Development
Report, in which the UN Development Programme said:
“The
real wealth of a nation is its people. And the purpose of
development is to create an enabling environment for people
to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives. This simple but
powerful truth is too often forgotten in the pursuit of
material and financial wealth.”
And with that, I’d like
to encourage you to take this opportunity to:
- Identify
your true needs as whänau, hapu and iwi,
- Keep your
goals high, and
- Be innovative with your solutions.
I congratulate you for being here today and I look
forward to seeing the results - both the strategic plan, and
the results for the whänau, hapu and iwi of Ngäti Raukawa.
No reira, kia kaha koutou, kia ora tatou katoa.