Protocol up to tangata whenua to decide on
Fallacy to say women aren’t allowed a voice on marae
The debate to allow Ma¯ori women to speak on the marae was reignited at Waitangi this year, with the Leader of the Opposition expressing disappointment at not being allowed to speak during the politicians’ po¯whiri at Waitangi, saying women growing into leadership roles have the same rights as men in such situations.
Who should and shouldn’t be able to speak on the marae is not a matter for manuwhiri to decide, but rather the prerogative of marae on which the hui is being held.
It is a fallacy to say women are not given the opportunities to speak on the marae. Ma¯ori women have always had equity with male counterparts and the working of a marae depends on each playing their roles as tikanga and kawa of that marae dictates. Some may say this practice is archaic and should progress and change to suit modern-day society. That may have some substance, but it is not for Pa¯keha¯ to push for those changes. It is up to Ma¯ori to determine what changes are in their best interests and not influenced by colonised thinking or Pa¯keha¯ ethnocentricity.
To even suggest that women are disempowered on the marae is ludicrous. Our tikanga may seem archaic but there are a number of subtleties and complexities that are not seen by those who view the world through a single lens. Women actually have many opportunities to have their say on the marae and have equal rights with men. What is different are the roles they each play. One cannot operate without the other.
Ma¯ori women are, in fact, very influential in marae proceedings.
It is women who open the proceedings and lay down the kaupapa for whatever hui is being held, through their karanga. Experts will weave their thoughts and opinions into their karanga and lay down the kaupapa that will form the basis for the men who stand to whaiko¯rero so the karanga is the first opportunity women have to express themselves and have their say.
It is women who stand in front to welcome visitors and it is women who lead the men on to the marae, have a supportive role during the proceedings and generally stand to provide waiata for each speaker. They also have the ability to intervene in whaiko¯rero, where they deem the speaker has either made an error or strayed from the kaupapa. Once seated, especially on the marae a¯tea, men will take the front seats, while the women sit behind them and the subtle message is that the men are there to protect their women. Once each speaker is finished the women will stand with them to waiata. It is a simple process where the concept of men and women working together to support and complement each other can be recognised.
There seems to be the belief that women never speak on the marae. But that is another fallacy. At many hui, after the formal proceedings are done and the business begins, both men and women are free to speak. There are also many instances of Ma¯ori women, throughout history, who have stood on the marae to whaiko¯rero but these women not only knew the protocols and whakapapa, but held mana in their iwi and understood all things Ma¯ori. Nga¯ti Porou women, such as Whaia McClutchie, Matoroa Reedy and Mihi Ko¯tukutuku are well known for their prowess on the marae. Te Puea and Eva Rickard from Tainui were also known to have spoken on the marae a¯tea. Could the same be said of all of those who fight to have the same speaking rights and status as men? Let us not forget that well before the suffragette movement, Ma¯ori women had equal status as Ma¯ori men. The very essence of surviving as Ma¯ori in a harsh environment relied on balance, co-operation and support.
Ma¯ori, over the course of our colonial history, have been forced to compromise their traditions and cultural practices and each year at Waitangi they are asked to make those same compromises and concessions to allow Pa¯keha¯ politicians, men and women who cannot speak Ma¯ori, to address the congregation. These concessions include the use of the Pa¯keha¯ language in what is probably the last remaining Ma¯ori-speaking domain, but that is another debate.
Well before the suffragette movement, M¯aori women had equal status as M¯aori men.
Ko Hinekahukura Te Kanawa to¯ku nei ingoa. Kei raro i te maru o t¯etehi o o¯ku maunga, a Karioi, i te taha o Whaingaroa moana e ngunguru ana i te ao i te po¯ ahau e noho ana. Ko te maunga kore nekeneke, ara¯ ko Hikurangi to¯ku maunga i te taha o to¯ku matua. Ko aku iwi ko Nga¯ti Koata, Tainui-Tahinga, ko Nga¯ti Porou, a¯, ko aku hapu¯ ko Nga¯ti Hounuku me Te Wha¯nau a Hinerupe.