Petition against Ma¯ori ward will divide our democracy
The people in our community promoting the petition that seeks to challenge the NPDC’s decision to establish a Ma¯ori ward say it is all about democracy. They say it is about giving people in our community a voice. They say it is about promoting ‘‘unity’’ in our community.
But let’s be very clear, it’s none of these things. It’s not about democracy or unity. The petition circulating in our rohe (district) that could force a binding poll on whether or not a Ma¯ori ward should be established in Nga¯motu is anti-Ma¯ori.
It’s about excluding Ma¯ori from meaningful participation in local government, and it’s an affront to the principles of partnership set out in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The people behind the petition in our district challenging the establishment of a Ma¯ori ward have accepted funding from at least one organisation that is fundamentally against, and actively works to thwart, Ma¯ori representation in local government, not only here in Nga¯motu but throughout Aotearoa.
Hobson’s Pledge financed the printing of the anti-Ma¯ori ward petition in the North Taranaki Midweek paper.
Moreover, during his campaign with the New Conservative party, Murray Chong hosted Hobson’s Pledge spokesperson Casey Costello and promoted the abolishment of Ma¯ori seats in parliament on his Facebook page (which backfired for him I might add).
Hobson’s Pledge’s focus, among other things, is to ‘‘prevent legislation, policy and regulations that will differentiate New Zealanders based upon their ethnicity or ancestry,’’ i.e., exclude and assimilate Ma¯ori (and by extension, other minority groups in Aotearoa I imagine).
If this work doesn’t sound like the promotion of healthy democracy and unity in our community, it’s because it’s not.
The work to exclude Ma¯ori from meaningful participation in local government in Nga¯motu is a total disregard for Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It is a program of assimilation.
It is an active commitment to preserving the status quo, a status quo that privileges whiteness, inhibits the process of justice, reconciliation and peace in our rohe, and the prohibits the honouring of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the way it should be.
Ultimately, it is activity that stifles the creation of real unity in Nga¯motu and, rather than strengthening, weakens democracy.
Some honesty from the ‘‘leaders’’ in our community promoting the anti-Ma¯ori ward petition about all this would be nice, but I doubt will be forthcoming anytime soon.
The anti-Ma¯ori work, promoted under the guise of democracy and unity, is based in a warped sense of national unity, a unity that is rooted in the promotion of an exclusively Pa¯keha¯ system that privileges a Pa¯keha¯ world view to the detriment of other world views.
But since when has unity equated to sameness? Unity is not sameness. Unity does not equal uniformity. Unity is not conformity. For genuine unity to exist, there must be diversity. Unity is impossible without diversity.
At its core and most transformative, unity is a diverse range of people, experiences, world views, and perspectives working together to benefit everyone.
In Nga¯motu, a Ma¯ori ward provides an opportunity for this to become a reality. A Ma¯ori ward in our community presents an opportunity to begin the journey toward real and transformative unity.
It is an opportunity for our community to learn, strengthen and benefit from a uniquely Ma¯ori perspective in new and liberating ways. A Ma¯ori ward in our community is a vital step forward in our shared journey.
As Lilla Watson says, our freedom is bound together.
Far from the anthesis of democracy and unity, establishing a Ma¯ori ward in Nga¯motu promotes and strengthens democracy and facilitates the process of establishing real unity in our rohe.
So there are some questions before us all, particularly for those who, like me, are Pa¯keha¯.
Are we open to creating a more robust democracy through the proactive inclusion of a voice that has been, and continues to be, silenced?
Are we serious about really striving toward unity? Will we play our part in creating a more just community committed to the success of all? Or will we hang on to old and destructive ways of thinking that hinder the building of a better Nga¯motu?
The establishment of a Ma¯ori ward in our community opens the door to begin the journey of creating a healthier, more equitable and inclusive Nga¯motu, to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and being better Treaty partners in our district.
The choice is, really, a no brainer.
Are we open to creating a more robust democracy through the proactive inclusion of a voice that has been, and continues to be, silenced?