Tributes to Harawira as Hipkins meets iwi leaders
As the Crown and iwi leaders come together at Waitangi, both sides are remembering Titewhai Harawira. Harawira died last week, aged 90. She was one of the country’s most recognised activists, mainly thanks to her sometimes controversial challenging of politicians at Waitangi. But she was also a guide to politicians and told Stuff she was looking forward to welcoming then prime minister Jacinda Ardern to Waitangi again this year. Of course, since then, New Zealand has a new prime minister in Chris Hipkins. His meeting with the Iwi Chairs Forum, his first appointment in Waitangi ahead of the celebrations on Monday, was a crucial moment for the new prime minister to form his own relationship with Māori. After the hui, Te Arataura chairperson Tukoroirangi Morgan said other iwi chairpeople had stressed to Hipkins that he needed to ensure social cohesion while also protecting Māori rights and working with iwi. Margaret Mutu, of Ngāti Kahu, said iwi had a good relationship with Ardern. She said Ardern understood the issues that iwi Māori wanted to work on with Government and also the importance of unity. She hoped Hipkins would continue that work. The Iwi Chairs Forum is a powerful group, comprising the elected leaders of most iwi across Aotearoa. Its annual Waitangi hui sees hundreds of iwi leaders come face to face with the most powerful ministers and public service bosses. Water management, iwi partnerships and the cost of living were discussed during the hui. Many iwi leaders also shared views on the political pushback against so-called ‘‘cogovernance’’, sharing disappointment that it had become so divisive in political discourse. Hipkins had to travel late into the night to attend the hui, after his flight was forced to turn back to Auckland on Thursday. As the hui started yesterday morning, representatives of the forum and the Government paid tribute to Harawira. ‘‘Nā reira, Whaea Titewhai, me tō wairua hoki wairua mai ki tēnei rūma,’’ Raniera Kaeo, of Ngāti Rangimatamomoe and Whangaroa, said. To laughter from the crowd, he called for the protesting spirit of Titewhai to return to the room as the hui got under way. Whānau Ora Minister Peeni Henare also acknowledged Harawira, saying he and Hipkins had just paid their respects at her tangihanga before coming to Waitangi. When Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro was welcomed to the Treaty Grounds, both Titewhai and Queen Elizabeth II were acknowledged. A spine-tingling pō whiri for the governorgeneral saw her walk on to Te Whare Rū nanga beside Dame Naida Glavish and the whānau of Harawira. Walking on, Kiro held a photo of Queen Elizabeth II in her hands and the Harawira whānau held a photo of late Ngāpuhi matriarch.