Iwi partnerships upheld with goodwill
OPINION: The role of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in modern government has been in the media again recently with concerns raised over co-governance over natural resources, Māori seats on councils and various other examples of power sharing in our society.
Since 1975 the Treaty settlement process has functioned to address grievances over breaches of the Treaty.
Treaty settlements by no means absolve us from upholding the Treaty in the present and into the future. Rather, they make clear the iwi partners we should work with at a local level to uphold the spirit of the Treaty.
Under the Local Government Act 2002 councils are required to ‘‘facilitate participation byMāori in local authority decisionmaking processes’’.
Hutt City Council has memoranda of understanding with the recognised mana whenua of Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai (Lower Hutt) – Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika (Te
ti Awa and affiliated iwi originally from Taranaki) and Ngāti Toa Rangatira – as represented by five iwi organisations and two mana whenua marae in our city.
In the current trienniumwe haveworked hard tomake these relationshipsmore meaningful and impactful for all residents, and it has been wonderful to have the direct input of mana whenua into discussions about our annual, long term and district plans, various policies, proposed reforms of threewaters and local government, and other important issues.
Recently, some people voiced concern about a decision to give mana whenua ameaningful role in place naming under the latest iteration of our Naming Policy – Kaupapa Here Tapanga.
As I remindedmy colleagues around the council table whenwe debated the revised policy, before paramount chief Honiana Te Puni and others welcomed Pākehā settlers on Pito-one beach, 100 per cent of place names in Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai were in te reo Māori.
Over time that’s been reduced to 21 per cent of street names by policies and decisions which have not prioritised te reo.
Even in instances where past policies have determined that ‘‘a name submitted by Māori will be given precedence over any other’’ council decision-makers have acted to the contrary, failing to uphold, let alone enhance, the mana of our mana whenua partners.
That’s why, in addition to prioritising te reo names, I voted to share the mana of place naming with iwi as an act of partnership and empowerment.
This does not mean that all future street names will be Māori. We all want to see the full diversity of Lower Hutt’s people and history reflected in our place names.
Throughout the Covid pandemic, local iwi organisations have mobilised to deliver emergency food packages and other social support, and turned their marae and workforce over to vaccination services where many of us, my own whānau included, received our vaccinations.
Recently, amidst the turmoil of anti-vaccine mandate protests at Parliament, Te ti Awa exercised theirmana by laying a cloak of peace – Te Kahu o te Raukura – over their ancestral lands on and surrounding Parliament grounds.
This symbolic act of dignity was appreciated by those who lived, worked or went to school in the area, some ofwhom had been subjected to abuse and intimidation by protestors.
We have nothing to fear, and much to gain, from authentic partnerships with mana whenua who have continued to act, in keeping with the name of the wharenui at Waiwhetū marae, with ‘‘Arohanui ki te Tangata’’ – goodwill to all people. ¯ A