He Whakaputanga celebrated 187 years on in Kaitaia
Last Friday a small group of locals stood proudly under the United Tribes Kara (flag) to commemorate 187 years since the signing of the He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tirene: the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand.
The group, made up of local iwi and hapū members, met at dawn to perform karakia to mark the special occasion at Kaitaia’s Te Ahu Centre.
According to the New Zealand History website, in 1831, 13 Ngāpuhi chiefs had written to Britain’s King William IV to seek an alliance and protection from other powers.
On October 28, 1835, James Busby had taken this a step further at a hui (meeting) he had called at Waitangi.
By the end of the day, 34 rangatira had signed He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni.
Local kaumātua Bundy Waitai (Te Paatu, Ngai Takoto, Ngāti Kuri, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kahu) said it was important for Māori to understand
the kō rero behind the declaration in order to create a united Aotearoa New Zealand moving forward.
“These tohu (guidelines) enabled us to have the benefits we experience today of health and welfare,” Waitai
said.
“We need to educate our people who are interested in He Whakaputanga, as it has so much meaning, it is our lore and the only true and honest declaration in the
world. At the moment it’s being used under false pretences with the Treaty of Waitangi, which is not good for the welfare or health and wellbeing of our people.
“Hopefully we can work together as a community and teach our people how to learn te Reo, to go on to the marae and work on skills like planting our own kai and healing our people
through our own natural resources.”
The group also acknowledged the 28th Maori Battalion after the raising of the kara and The Roll Call of Ancestors who signed on October 28, 1835.
Last year a small group walked through Kaitaia’s main street to mark the occasion, before ending at the Te Ahu Centre.
climate change (external or internal), legislation, commitments to the Local Government NZ declaration on climate change and/or community outcomes (as stated in the LTP) that relate to this decision”.
Mayor Carter thanked me for my “thoughtful” email, appreciated the information I had added and said he would be giving the matter full consideration. Perhaps predictably that was the end of the matter — well over three years ago!
The final sentence of the recently released Lancet Countdown report says, “With the world in turmoil, putting human health at the centre of an aligned response to these concurrent crises could represent the last hope of securing a healthier, safer future for all.”
The Systems Change Lab report, State of Climate Action 2022, published since this letter was started concludes that halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reaching net-zero CO2 emissions around midcentury will require immediate, ambitious, and concerted action to accelerate transformational change across nearly every major system.
Is the Far North up to managing an adequate contribution to this response or is it too late?
Ross Forbes
Kerikeri