Category: Te Pati Maori

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.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Te Pāti Māori are calling for David Seymour to resign as Associate Health Minister in response to his call for Pharmac to ignore the Treaty of Waitangi.

“This announcement is just another example of the government’s anti-Tiriti, anti-Māori agenda.” Said Co-leader and spokesperson for health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“Seymour thinks it is inappropriate for Pharmac to consider the Treaty, I say it is inappropriate for a racist to decide the Treaty’s place in the health sector.”

“He has admitted that there was no proof that considering the Treaty was leading to bad health outcomes.”

“This announcement is nothing more than a racist dog whistle. He is letting his supporters know that he is doing his real job – erasing Māori rights and whitewashing Aotearoa.”

“David Seymour couldn’t care less that Māori die 7 years earlier than the rest of Aotearoa.”

“We are more likely to die from cancer and preventable illnesses but are the least likely to receive medical treatment.”

“If David Seymour is willing to turn a blind eye to data because it doesn’t serve his anti-Tiriti agenda, then he is unfit to serve as a Minister. People’s lives and oranga are at stake.”

“Our health sector should be guided by the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi – the document that consents to this government’s existence. Our health sector should not be guided by the leader of a party who received 8% of the vote.” Said Ngarewa-Packer.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Te Pāti Māori have submitted to the Justice Select Committee against the Sentencing (Reinstating Three Strikes) Amendment Bill. The bill will further entrench racism in our justice system and fails to focus on rehabilitation.

“Reinstating Three Strikes will empower a systematically racist system and exacerbate the overrepresentation of Māori in prisons. There is no denying that our criminal justice system is institutionally racist and unfit for purpose in Aotearoa,” said spokesperson for justice, Tākuta Ferris.

“Māori suffer unequal outcomes at every level of the criminal justice system. Despite being only 20% of the total population, we are half of the prison population. Three Strikes perpetuates punishment, not justice.”

“With Three Strikes, Māori and Pasifika received over 50% of the strikes, 63% of those with a second strike were Māori, and 82% of people who received a third strike sentence were Māori.”

“Policy needs to be informed by evidence. That evidence shows that three strikes neither reduces crime nor assists with rehabilitation. To date, the government have failed to provide any evidence to the contrary.”

“We cannot imprison poverty and trauma out of our society. Intelligent policy, early intervention, and rehabilitation are essential for creating a just society. Punishment is not justice.”

“Justice in Aotearoa can only work when tangata whenua assert our tino rangatiratanga to oversee our own tikanga-based models of restorative justice.”

“If the government’s goal is to put more Māori, Pacific Islanders, and poor people in prison, this bill will succeed. It is not a bill that will reduce crime in this country,” said Ferris.

Source: Te Pati Maori

The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is set to make a determination on the Residential Tenancies Amendment (RTA) Bill in the coming weeks.

“This legislation will give landlords the power to kick our whānau out onto the street for no reason” said Housing spokesperson, Mariameno Kapa-Kingi.

“Their solution to the housing crisis is threatening renters with a homelessness crisis.”

“The RTA Bill is just another example of the government prioritising the haves over the have nots.”

“This government has committed to giving $3 billion worth of tax cuts to already wealthy landlords – this is more than the value of all Treaty settlements combined.”

“At the same time, they are halting social housing projects, getting rid of first home buyer grants, scrapping regulations for property managers, and making it easier to evict people from their homes.”

“The shortage of new housing, poor quality of existing Māori housing, and the difficulties Māori face in affording rent or home ownership have been long-standing issues for many years.”

“It is evident that they only care about lining their own pockets, and the pockets of their rich mates. They do not care about renters, they do not care about Māori, and they do not care about their obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.”

“Access to stable housing is a fundamental right for tangata whenua in Aotearoa, ensuring they are not left vulnerable to the whims of landlords.”

“Te Pāti Māori will commit to building more social housing and introduce a capital gains tax to reflect our view that housing is a right, not a business.”

Source: Te Pati Maori

“This government is choosing to deliberately mislead and withhold information, keeping our people in the dark about this government’s agenda and the future of our mokopuna,” said co-leader and spokesperson for Health, Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

The call comes after the demand from the Chief Ombudsman that Associate Minister of Health, Casey Costello, apologise for her choice to deliberately withhold information under the Official Information Act.

“What we continue to witness is a government that is so deliberate in its destruction that it simply doesn’t care. They don’t give a flying toss about process, about judicial rulings, about the advice they’re given, and about being transparent.

“My office has also submitted requests for information to Minister Costello under the Official Information Act and by Written Questions. The Minister’s office was entirely dismissive, lacking in depth, and arrogantly conceited in their carelessness about being held accountable.

“Smoke reforms stopped by this Minister were rushed and passed through urgency. The Minister again deliberately withheld information, failing to disclose a $46 billion economic benefit by 2050. She is also on the record for lying about pausing tax increases for tobacco.

“This government needs to come clean. They are playing with the intergenerational loss of life and of whakapapa. This demands robust scrutiny.

“I am writing to the Ombudsman’s office to ask that a thorough investigation be launched into the Minister’s responses to all requests for information under the Official Information Act.

“Our people demand more than a slap on the hand and an apology. We must continue to be assured that this government is no longer enabled to take process and law for a ride at their free will of destruction,” said Ngarewa-Packer.

Source: Te Pati Maori

Without warning or discussion, the Whānau Ora commissioning agencies were recently told they must retender for their contracts.

“The Minister for Whānau Ora, Tama Potaka needs to provide evidence and a copy of their policy changes and rationale, then sit down to consult with the board of Whānau Ora.” Says co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer.

“It is a costly and intensive process for both the government and those submitting. There is nothing to be achieved from this.”

“How can the Minister rationalise this decision without any consultation?”

“This government believes they have the democratic mandate to do whatever they like – with no warning – especially when it comes to Māori rights and well-being.”

“Transparency is needed to understand exactly what is going on with the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency that so many whānau have come to rely on, internally and externally.”

“There are structured opportunities for review of investment plans and outcomes already in place. This does not just impact the commissioning agencies it creates uncertainty for iwi and Māori frontline providers at a time when many already face uncertainty with Ministry of Social Development and Oranga Tamariki contracting changes.”

“Whānau Ora stands as a model that has consistently demonstrated the highest social return on investment.”

“Despite its proven effectiveness, the government fails to provide any viable alternative model and instead continues to pursue a narrow-minded anti-Māori agenda.”

Source: Te Pati Maori

The government’s failure to invest in flood protection and emergency relief will be felt for generations to come says Te Pāti Māori spokesperson for Te Tai Rāwhiti, Tākuta Ferris.

“It was only three months ago that councils were calling for the government to help invest in flood protection. Cyclone Gabrielle should have been a wakeup call, but this government has continued to drag its feet, and is now leaving the people of Te Tai Rāwhiti to fend for themselves.

“Te Tai Rāwhiti is still suffering from Cyclone Gabrielle. People are still homeless, whānau are still mourning. This has only made last week’s floods more devasting” said Ferris.

“Central and local government need to accept responsibility for failing to invest in infrastructure and flood protection, and for failing to listen to the community who understand their river and their environment.

“We need to be future proofing our communities for generations to come. It should be the governments utmost priority.

“Aotearoa was rocked by two ‘once per century’ weather events in as many weeks last year. These floods are not a one-off occurrence” said Ferris.

“Our leaders should be out on the ground taking care of our people during times of crisis. Whānau who have lost their homes and belongings need certainty that our government will meet all their needs whether they are insured or not.

“I want to mihi to Te Poho o Rāwiri and other marae who stepped up on behalf of their communities.

“Our marae are always the first to open their doors during times of crisis and provide emergency response centres for the community. Yet we are often the last to receive support when all is said and done” Ferris said.

After lobbying from Te Pāti Māori, the previous government set aside $75 million to relocate marae and homes on whenua Māori impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle. But Ferris says this funding is “too little too late” as this process, which was supposed to begin in October last year, continues to face hurdles.

“More than eight months after the buyout of other homes started, tangata whenua are still having to negotiate the future of their marae and their homes.

“How many more floods will we have dealt with by the time we finally receive that initial support? The people of Te Tai Rāwhiti do not need ‘thoughts and prayers’ – they need material support” Ferris said.