Category: Te Pati Maori

Source: Te Pati Maori

Today’s Whakaata Māori announcement is yet another colossal failure from Minister Potaka, who has turned his back on te reo Māori, forcing a channel offline, putting whānau out of jobs, and cutting Māori content, says Te Pāti Māori.

“A Senior Māori Minister has turned his back on Te Reo Māori. Any move that reduces the prominence, visibility and auditability of Te Reo Māori is an attack on future generations. This is his failure, for our people and for our kids,” said Broadcast Spokesperson, Tākuta Ferris.

“This restructure will have huge implications for whānau, Māori content, and the revitalisation of te reo Māori.

“For Potaka to sit by and allow a 25% reduction in operational budget is weak and gutless, and it has forced Whakaata Māori to its knees.

“Forcing the only channel fluent in Te Reo Māori off-air, is another breach of Article 2 of Te Tiriti, which protects our taonga, te reo Māori being one of them.

“The language of a people is the pupuri (the binding) of their being.

“This is the continuation of the insidious attack by the coalition government on all things Māori. It is the erasure of uniqueness of Māori identity, to assimilate, to conform to be another one of them.”

Despite a $10 million time-sensitive investment from the last Labour Government, which runs out next year, Whakaata Māori’s baseline operational funding has not increased since 2008.

“Past Governments are not off the hook either. Whakaata Māori has not had an increase in operational funding since 2008, during which costs have risen by 47% due to inflation.

“Despite that, their commitment to te ao Māori and te reo Māori has endured, and today’s announcement is a sad day,” said Ferris.

“Te Pāti Māori wants to acknowledge those at Whakaata Māori, past and present, who have contributed to our own storytelling, language revitalisation, and kōrero tuku iho,” said the MP for Te Tai Tonga.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Te Pāti Māori co-leader and Member of Parliament for Waiariki, which includes Rotorua, has written to Rotorua Lakes Councillors requesting they immediately stop sewerage piping works at Lake Rotokākahi in Rotorua.

“Mana whenua have been urging Rotorua Lakes Council to stop works and look at alternative plans to protect the taiao, as well as the wāhi tapu at Lake Rotokākahi. The council needs to listen,” said Rawiri Waititi.

“Lake Rotokākahi is a wāhi tapu (sacred site) for mana whenua and is the resting place of many of their tīpuna killed in the Mount Tarawera eruption of 1886.

“Mana whenua are not only concerned about the desecration of their wāhi tapu by the current sewage scheme, but also the future environmental damage that will put their roto and its surrounding ecosystems at risk.

“This act by the council is a clear breach of Article Two of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which guarantees Māori the undisturbed possession of their full and exclusive rights to their estates, domains, lands, forests, moana, and taonga for as long as they wish to retain them.

“The demands from mana whenua are clear: immediately stop works, adopt alternative routes, and for the Government to step in and support Rotorua Lakes Council with alternative plans.

“As the MP for Waiariki, I stand in solidarity with the protectors of Lake Rotokākahi and support their efforts to protect their whenua.

“I support mana whenua continuing to hold the frontline on their whenua, focused on protecting wāhi tapu, and preserving their taiao for their mokopuna until the council has met their demands.

“We, as tangata whenua, must be the kaitiaki our tīpuna entrusted us to be and make the decisions our mokopuna deserve to inherit.”

Waititi has written to all Rotorua Lakes Councillors, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Local Government, and the Minister of Infrastructure.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Information released by the Minister for Children has revealed that almost 800 mokopuna Māori have been taken by the state this year, putting it on track for the largest displacement of tamariki Māori since the introduction of Section 7AA in 2019.

“Oranga Tamariki is running a crusade against whakapapa Māori under the dictatorship of this Government,” said co-leader, Rawiri Waititi.

“The incarceration of 790 children into a system that has proven itself to be an abysmal failure is dangerous.

“The whakapapa protections in the current law is the final hurdle before the Govts kidnapping spree is unleashed.

“Section 7AA lifts the curtains so the nation can see exactly what the Crown is doing to our mokopuna. It gives tamariki an extra layer of protection from being unjustly taken from their whānau and put in harm’s way.

“The repeal of Section 7AA closes that curtain and keeps our tamariki in the dark,” Waititi said.

“The government is forcing our tamariki into a cesspool of poverty and devastating deprivation. It is the catalyst for the revolving door of incarceration and intergenerational trauma,” said co-leader, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“Any entity that has failed as many reviews as Oranga Tamariki would be immediately shut down. The fact that this Ministry is responsible for our most vulnerable tamariki makes it even worse.

“They are incapable of caring for anything or anyone, let alone our mokopuna,” Ngarewa-Packer said.

Te Pāti Māori’s Mokopuna Māori Policy can be found here.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Today the Waitangi Tribunal issued a scathing report of the Government’s Treaty Principles Bill and Treaty Clause Review polices.

The report described the government’s policy to whitewash Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a distortion of the language of the Treaty based on a false historical narrative. The Tribunal found no justifications for these policies which are designed to take away indigenous rights, assert Parliamentary dominance over Māori, and erase any duty of the Crown to act with honour and integrity.

“We have the Prime Minister on record saying he is committed to upholding Article 2 of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Tino Rangatiratanga of Te Iwi Māori. He needs to prove this by immediately abandoning the Treaty Principles Bill and implementing all the recommendations of the Tribunal” said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi.

“The government have so far ignored all evidence and advice that contradicts their short-sighted anti-Māori, anti-poor, and anti-taiao policy platform.

“Te Pāti Māori will not allow this weaponised ignorance to continue unchecked” Waititi said.

“The Tribunal have issued a clear warning and challenge to this government. But it is also an opportunity for the Prime Minister to prove his worth as leader of a Pacific nation” said co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“Luxon can no longer hide behind his coalition partners. Either he has given full control of his government to David Seymour, or he is using the coalition agreement as an excuse to pursue his own anti-Māori agenda.

“The Tribunal have given the Prime Minister an opportunity to restore some honour to the Crown, and to himself, by abandoning the Act Party’s anti-Treaty policies and beginning the process of healing his relationship with Māori” Ngarewa-Packer said.

“If Luxon ignores these recommendations he will go down in history as having led the most anti-Māori government in generations” said Waititi.

The Waitangi Tribunal recommends:

• That the Government abandon the Treaty Principles Bill.
• That the Government establish a Cabinet Māori-Crown relations committee that has oversight of the Crown’s Tiriti policies.
• The Government pause the Treaty Clause Review policy while it is re-conceptualised through collaboration and co-design engagement with Māori.
• That the Crown consider a process in partnership with Māori to undo the damage to the Māori-Crown relationship and restore confidence in and honour of the Crown.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Member of Parliament for Te Tai Tokerau, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, and Te Pāti Māori have come out in full support for the action against the racially fuelled decision to get rid of the Te Moananui o Kaipara Māori ward in the Kaipara.

“What we have witnessed in Kaipara is a group of councillors so emboldened by this government’s agenda that their premeditated fragility has now flourished,” said Mariameno Kapa-Kingi.

“The Kaipara Council has feasted off the very rhetoric being paraded by this anti-Māori government and has taken the option to disestablish the Māori ward ahead of the required referendum.

“Our people and Māori Ward councillor Ihapera Paniora are sick and tired of playing nice and holding up our end of the Treaty partnership only to be simply walked over.

“Te iwi Māori continue to be pressed into a corner by the assault instigated by this disgusting government. We continue to activate, we continue to engage, we continue to explore our options.

“I cannot comprehend the perceived threat that Pākehā have when it comes to upholding their end of their Te Tiriti obligations. I acknowledge Palmerston North Council’s decision yesterday to maintain Māori wards.

“Being a good Treaty partner does not render one group superior. There is nothing to lose, but everything to gain.

“All Māori are asking for is for Pākehā to be nice,” said Kapa-Kingi.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Today MP for Te Tai Tonga and Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Tākuta Ferris has submitted his Member’s Bill into the ballot.

The Treaty of Waitangi (Empowerment of Waitangi Tribunal) Amendment Bill will make Waitangi Tribunal recommendations binding on the Crown. This bill will also allow the Tribunal to consider all proposed legislation to ensure consistency with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

These changes will allow the Tribunal to properly fulfil its role as the kaitiaki of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

“The three-headed taniwha government has made it very clear that the Waitangi Tribunal needs to be empowered. In only 8 months, Māori have been sent back 70 years.”

“This bill reflects the reality that Te Tiriti o Waitangi underpins, and allows for, democracy in Aotearoa.”

“Māori consented to kāwanatanga on the basis that Te Tiriti o Waitangi is continuously honoured, and that the promises contained within it are kept.”

“Te iwi Māori must remember that this consent is ongoing – it can be revoked at any time.”

“I would expect the government parties to support this bill to retain the good will of our people, and to stop themselves from eroding the foundation of their continued existence.”

“If the government cannot be trusted to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi on their own, we must empower the Waitangi Tribunal to keep them in line.” Said Ferris.

Source: Te Pati Maori

I tērā Paraire, i whakatairangahia e te Te Roopu Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi tō rātou pūrongo, ko Kei Ahotea Te Aho Matua – Pre-publication Version, mō te kerēme ohotata i kawea e Te Rūnanga Nui o ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori (Te Rūnanga Nui).

Ko tā te pūrongo i takahi te Karauna i ngā mātāpono o te patuitanga, te whakamarumaru, te mana taurite, me ngā kōwhiringa ake i tā rātou arotake mātauranga/kura. Me te aha, kāore te Karauna i kōrero, i whai whakaaro rānei ki Te Rūnanga Nui me ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori.

“He mea waiwai te mahi a te Karauna mō ēnei takahitanga i raro i Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Me tukuna te pūtea kia āhei ai ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori te mana motuhake ki te whakatū i tētahi mana mātauranga Kura Kaupapa Māori”. I kī te māngai mō te mātauranga nō Te Pāti Māori, a Tākuta Ferris.

“E pūrangiaho ana te kite i roto i ngā tau ka whai hua nui te marautanga o Te Aho Matua mō ngā tauira Māori. Heoi, i whakatau te kāwanatanga ki te tāmau i ēnei kaiwhakarato mai i te huarahi whakatau ka whakatauhia te oranga o te mātauranga mō ā tātou mokopuna.”

“Ki te hiahia te Karauna ki te whakawhāiti te angotanga i waenga i te iwi Māori me te Pākehā, me noho ki mua te whakamanatanga o ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori i roto i ngā whakarerekētanga o te mātauranga.”

“Mai i te kuhu o te tamaiti ki te Kōhanga Reo tae noa ki tana ekenga ki te Wharekura ka haere kōtui ia me te mōhio ki te uaratanga o te noho Māori. I te wā hoki ka eke ia ki te ao whānui ka kore rawa ia e ngaro i tana pupuri o tōna ahurea, whakapapa, me tōna tuakiri rānei.”

“Hei āpiti atu hoki ki ngā mahi pūhohe, i puta te kōrero a Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga i te rā kotahi, ka paunu rātou i te pūtea mai i ngā kaupapa rawa tekau mā rima mō ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori.”

“Āhea te Karauna e pono ai ki te whakamana i tōna herenga i Te Tiriti o Waitangi? Āhea rātou whakaae ai he nui ake te kaha o te iwi Māori ki te whakaora, ki te manaaki, ki te whakaako i tō mātou ake iwi mēnā kia tika te tohatoha o ngā rauemi ki a tātou?”

“Mā te Māori, mō te Māori, ki te Māori anake te huarahi whakamua. Mā Te Pāti Māori e whakatūturu kia tika ngā rauemi me te wāriu o te mātauranga o ngā kaupapa Māori, o te Aho Matua.” Hei tā Ferris.

On Friday, the Waitangi Tribunal released Kei Ahotea Te Aho Matua – Pre-publication Version, a report on the urgent claim bought by Te Rūnanga Nui and the Kura Kaupapa Māori Te Aho Matua whānau it represents.

The report found that the Crown has breached the principles of partnership, active protection, equity, and options throughout its education review and reform process because it did not sufficiently involve or consider Te Rūnanga Nui or Kura Kaupapa Māori.

“The Crown must urgently take action on these breaches under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and commit funding to allow Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori the autonomy to establish a Kura Kaupapa Māori education authority.” Said Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Education, Tākuta Ferris

“It has been evident for years that Kura Kaupapa Māori education has been transformational for tauira Māori, yet the government decided to lock these providers out of the decision-making process that will shape the future of education for our mokopuna.”

“The empowerment of Kura Kaupapa Māori should be at the forefront of any education reform if the Crown is serious about closing the equity gap between Māori and non-Māori.”

“Tamariki in Kura Kaupapa Māori are equipped right from Kōhanga Reo through to Wharekura to understand the value of being Māori and when they step into the world, they never lose sight of their culture, whakapapa, and identity.”

“In a cruel twist of irony, the Ministry of Education announced that they will be withdrawing funding from 15 Kura Kaupapa Māori property projects on the same day that this report was released.”

“When will the Crown commit to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi? when will they accept that Māori are more than capable of healing, caring for, and educating Māori if we are properly resourced?”

“By Māori, for Māori, to Māori is the only way forward. Te Pāti Māori will ensure that kaupapa Māori education is properly resourced and valued.” Said Ferris.

Source: Te Pati Maori

In 2004 te iwi Māori rallied against the Crown’s attempt to confiscate our coastlines and moana with the Foreshore and Seabed Act. This led to the largest hīkoi of a generation and the birth of Te Pāti Māori.

20 years later, history is repeating itself.

Today the government has announced they will be amending the Marine and Coastal Area Act to make it almost impossible for iwi to claim ownership of their foreshore and seabed.

In order to claim customary title, the Marine and Coastal Area Act required iwi to prove continuous, undisturbed use of their land since 1840.

Even this threshold was too generous for the government.

They are planning to raise the bar even higher to extinguish any hope that our rights will be recognised.

The Crown have run out of land to steal, so they are coming for the land under our moana.

Moana Jackson said: “The forces of colonisation demanded that there only be one site of power, that there only be one supreme sovereign.”

It is time for us to step into our tino rangatiratanga and break the Crown’s colonial monopoly on power.

Tangata whenua have always had undisturbed ownership and rights over our whenua, our resources, and our taonga. The burden rests on the Crown to prove their rights.

Governments come and go, but our mana motuhake will remain.

Te iwi Māori will not allow this all-out assault on our whakapapa to continue.

The activations across the motu were only the beginning.

E te iwi Māori, kia mataara, kia rite tonu mai, kia tū tahi tātou!

Source: Te Pati Maori

It has been five and a half years since the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was established to investigate the abuse of children, young people, and vulnerable adults within state and faith-based institutions. Yesterday, the final report – Whanaketia through pain and trauma, from darkness to light – was presented to Parliament.  

“First and foremost, today is about acknowledging the nearly 3000 survivors who were brave enough to share their stories in the hope of making Aotearoa a safer place for our mokopuna.” Said Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Oranga Tamariki, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. 

“My hope is that we see the full whakapapa of this report, as opposed to just the letters and numbers on the paper. That we see the sickening irony of the phrase “abuse, in care”.

“These institutions were entrusted to care for our tamariki, rangatahi, and pakeke, yet they actively put our most vulnerable in harm’s way.”

“Māori survivors experienced harsher treatment because of overt racism. They were denied access to mātauranga, tikanga, reo Māori, and the ability to connect to their whakapapa, sometimes violently.”  

“The report notes that New Zealand’s care system is fundamentally broken beyond repair. Survivors want to see transformational change to ensure the end of state-sponsored abuse.”   

“The best chance we have of protecting our tamariki from state abuse is to keep them out in the first place. Our tamariki Māori currently make up 70% of those in state custody and further, they make up 80% of those currently abused by the state.”

“It is disgusting that this government is in the process of repealing section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act despite clear evidence that it was doing its job – keeping tamariki Māori out of state care.”  

“We must burn this rotten institution to the ground. Relevant communities, including iwi, hapū, and whānau must be resourced to shape the destinies of their own babies.

“For us, this looks like a Mokopuna Māori Authority, which will prioritise indigenous care models and empower communities.” Said Kapa-Kingi.

Source: Te Pati Maori

On Friday the International Court of Justice reaffirmed what Palestinian’s have been telling us for decades: that the occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands by Israel is illegal and must end immediately. They also called for reparations for Palestinian’s who have lived under Israeli occupation since it began in 1967.

The ICJ has categorically condemned Israel’s crimes against humanity and apartheid policies. They are calling on nations like Aotearoa to enforce this ruling and hold Israel accountable for breaching international law.

The ICJ further ruled that any nations providing aid to support the occupation will be in violation of international law.

“Our government’s silence so far speaks volumes” said Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“Christopher Luxon had the opportunity to take a stand against genocide and United States’ unconditional support for Israel when he met with President Biden last week. He chose not to. Instead, he is strengthening ties with AUKUS and the United States war machine.

“The New Zealand government has run out of excuses. Aotearoa cannot continue to ignore the humanity of Palestinians.

“Our government needs to live up to the precedent we set in our support for Ukraine” Ngarewa-Packer said.

“We are urging the New Zealand Government to do all it can to enforce the ICJs ruling.

“We must sanction all trade in and out of Israelis illegal settlements. We must hold our allies to account and cut diplomatic ties with those committing and aiding war crimes. We must recognise Palestinian statehood.

“No more complicity. The world is watching” said Ngarewa-Packer.