He whakaeke ahurei: E 24 ngā ara kua whakataria a Māori e tēnei Kāwanatanga

Tuesday, 30 June 2026

Joel Maxwell (Te Rarawa) is a senior journalist.

Kua whakamāoritia tēnei pūrongo e tētahi hinengaro rorohiko, ā, kua hihiratia e te kaiwhakamāori a Puna, a Joel Maxwell, nāna te pūrongo i whakapai hoki i mua i te whakaputa hei pūrongo reorua. Nā Straker me Microsoft te hinengaro rorohiko i whakawhanake.

This story, originally in English only, was translated into reo Māori by an AI tool then checked and edited by Stuff kaiwhakamāori Joel Maxwell before publication as a bilingual news story. The AI tool was developed by Straker and Microsoft.

HUATAU: I ohorere taku mōhio i tērā rā ka tino whakararua ahau e tēnei Kāwanatanga Haumi. Mēnā he rite koe ki a au, me pēnei hoki koe. Nā te mea he āhuatanga whaiaro.

OPINION: I suddenly realised the other day that I take this Coalition Government extremely personally. If you’re Māori like me, then you should too. Because it is personal.

Read this story in English here. / Pānuitia tēnei i te reo Pākehā ki konei.

I raro i a Christopher Luxon, Winston Peters me David Seymour, he whakahāwea tēnei Kāwanatanga ki o tātou tikanga tūmatanui whānui, he whakakāhoretanga i tō tātou āhua pai hei iwi - me te kaikaiwaiū i te iwi Māori.

Under Christopher Luxon, Winston Peters and David Seymour, this Government has been an affront to our commonly-held civic virtues, a rejection of our better nature as a nation - and a betrayal of Māori, full stop.

Ina whakaaro ahau ki te hēmanawatanga, te ngākau kore me te tino ngenge i whakakīa e tēnei i roto i te iwi Māori, e tīmata ana ki te rongo i te iti rawa o te whakamanatanga, ka rarua whaiaro au anō.

When I think of the cynicism, hopelessness and plain exhaustion this fueled in Māori, who were starting to feel the tiniest bit of empowerment, I take it personally.

He tino whaiaro ki a au anō, ko ngā tau e toru kua taha nei e whakahoki ana i a tātou ki tō tātou wāhi - kāore tētahi o ēnei i iti noa iho te whakapai ake mō tētahi tangata hāunga ngā kaporeihana nunui me ngā kaikiri e whakaongaonga ana i te whakaaro o ngā hoa o Aotearoa e rawakore ana, e pouri ana, e mate ana.

I take it personally that the last three years have been about putting us back in our place - none of which made the slightest improvement for anyone except big corporations and racists who get a thrill at the thought of fellow New Zealanders becoming poorer, unhappier and sicker.

He nui ngā tūkinotanga e tāmi mai ana i runga i a tātou me te whai i te kai noa iho me te whare haumaru hei nohonga, nā te mea ki te ngoikore haere te ōhanga kia pā kaha ake te kino ki a tātou o te iwi Māori ahakoa te aha.

Frankly we have so much to worry about just getting meals on the table and a roof over our heads, because when the economy is weak then it’s always - always - worse for Māori.

Kia pono tātou, he āhua piro te āhua o te ōhanga. He whaiaro ki a au anō nā tēnei Kāwanatanga i whakamātāmua tāna whakahoki whakamuri hei kaupapa matua.

And let’s be honest, the economy kinda stinks. I take it personally then that this Government made backsliding on race relations its central project.

Kaua e whakapono mai ki a au? Whakaarohia ngā mea e whai ake nei, kātahi ka kī mai ehara tēnei kaupeka i te whakaekenga nui rawa atu ki a tāua o ngāi Māori. I pā mai he raruraru ā iwi, engari ka hunaia i muri i tōna ake kore whakamā.

Don’t believe me? Consider the following, arranged in no particular order, then tell me there hasn't been an unprecedented attack on Māori. I think a national crisis happened but just got hidden behind its own shamelessness.

Tērā te turakitanga o ngā here Tiriti o te poari kura.

There was the axing of school board Treaty obligations.

Tērā te pire a ACT kua whakapouri i te motu o ngā mātāpono Tiriti i rahua ai.

There was ACT’s failed Treaty principles bill that caused nationwide outrage.

I tangohia e te Kāwanatanga ngā here Tiriti mai i te Ture Oranga Tamariki.

The Government removed Treaty obligations from the Oranga Tamariki Act.

Ka mahue tauwhāititia e te Kāwanatanga ngā whakaritenga mō te 'tauwhitinga whakaute' i roto i ngā āheinga ahurea i roto i tana pire ture hauora hou.

The Government will specifically dump requirements for “respectful interaction with Māori” in cultural competencies in its new health regulation bill.

Kua tīmata kē te Kāwanatanga ki te tango i ngā mema mai i ngā poari whakahaere hauora e 'ariā rawa' mō ngā mea pēnei i te haumarutanga ahurea mō ngā iwi taketake.

The Government has already started to remove members from health regulatory boards who are “too ideological” on things like cultural safety for Maori.

I whakamuritia ngā ingoa taketake mō ngā manatū me ngā tari i muri i ngā ingoa Ingarihi.

Māori names for ministries and departments were deprioritised behind the English ones.

I hiahia te Kāwanatanga ki te whakamahi i te reo taketake iti iho puta noa i te wāhanga tūmatanui.

The Government was keen to use less Māori language in general across the public sector.

I whakakorea mārire te kaupapa tohu huarahi reo Māori ahakoa neke atu i te $1 miriona kua pau kētia.

The reo Māori road sign programme was quietly mothballed despite the more-than $1 million already spent.

I mahue nuitia a Three Waters nā runga noa iho i te iti noa iho o te whakahaere tahi me ngā iwi Māori.

Three Waters was dumped largely because it offered some small amount of co-governance with iwi.

Tērā te pana ki te whakahau i tētahi pōtitake mō te wā heke mai o nga tūru pōti Māori.

There is the push to force a referendum on the future of the Māori electoral seats.

Tērā te pire hou kia whakamana pūmau i te reo Ingarihi hei reo ōkawa o te motu kia whakararu i te iwi Māori me ana kaitautoko.

There is also the bill underway to enshrine English as an official language of New Zealand simply to troll Māori and reo supporters.

I tangohia e te Kāwanatanga te pakeke whakamātautau whekau kua whakahekea.

The Government scrapped the lowered bowel-screening age for Māori and Pasifika.

I turakina te pokapū hauora Māori e kīia nei ko Te Aka Whai Ora.

Māori health agency Te Aka Whai Ora was axed.

I whakahokia e te Kāwanatanga ngā huringa ture e whakamāmā ana i te hanganga o ngā rohe Māori i roto i ngā kaunihera: e 24 ngā kaunihera i tapahia o rātou wāri.

The Government reversed law changes easing the creation of Māori wards in councils: 24 councils had their wards cut.

I peia ētahi wāhanga o te ture ārai kai paipa - e pā kaha ake ana ki te iwi taketake.

The anti-smoking law was unrolled - disproportionately affecting Māori.

I whakakāhoretia tētahi tono kia hurihia te tapa taone o Petone (he kupu kutukutu), - ā, me te huringa i marohitia o te Kororāreka mai i a Russell (ngā whakataunga iti engari he nui te whakahāwea).

A request to change the suburb of Petone (a nonsense word) to Pito One, was refused - and so was the proposed change to Kororāreka from Russell (both small but still petty decisions).

Kua tīmataria e te Kāwanatanga he pire hei whakaiti i te Tiriti i roto i te rahi o ngā ture hira.

The Government has initiated a bill to depower Te Tiriti in a raft of important legislation.

I hurihia e te Kāwanatanga te ture mō te whakaurunga pōti tērā pea ka whakaiti i te hunga kaipōti taketake.

The Government changed the law on electoral enrolment that would likely depress Māori voter turnout.

I whakarewaina he arotakenga o te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti 'kiritohe' me te ture nāna i waihanga.

A review of the “activist” Waitangi Tribunal and the law that created it was launched.

I paahitia te ture paerewa ture, e tatū ana i te mea i whakaahuatia e tētahi tohunga Tiriti hei 'tauarotanga taraipiunara' hei arotake i ngā ture.

The regulatory standards law was passed, setting up what one Treaty expert described as an “anti-Waitangi Tribunal” to evaluate regulation.

I tangohia e te minita mātauranga ngā kupu mai i ngā pukapuka phonics tīmatanga i ngā kura - tae atu ki tētahi e kiia nei ko At the Marae (Ināianei e kīia ana ko At the [redacted]).

The education minister removed reo Māori words from beginner phonics books in schools - including one called At the Marae (Now presumably called At the [redacted]).

I whakamanatia e te kāwanatanga tētahi ture i uaua ake ai te tono i ngā taitara moana tikanga.

The government passed a law that made claiming customary marine titles harder for Māori.

A, ka tangohia e te kāwanatanga te $30m mō te whakapakari i ngā pūkenga reo o ngā kaiako, e kī ana ka pai ake te whakapau i te pāngarau.

And the government yanked $30m for upskilling teachers in te reo, saying it would be better spent on maths.

Ina whakaaro ahau ki te rongo i taku tamaiti e kōrero ana mō te wā tuatahi i te kura me ngā hoa, ka mahara ahau ki te mīharo me te whakahīhī i rongo ai ahau. Nā tāku ako i te reo anō hei tāne Māori i mōhio ai ahau ki tōku ahurea me ahau anō, ā, ka āhei ahau ki te whai wāhi ki tētahi kōrero e toro atu ana i ngā rau tau ki muri. He māhaki, he mea whakamīharo noa iho.

When I think of hearing my kid speak te reo for the first time in kōhanga with friends, I remember the wonder and pride I felt. Learning the language myself as a Māori man has taught me about my culture and myself and let me join in a kōrero stretching back centuries. Humbling and just plain marvellous.

Nā ēnei momo mea whaiaro i kaha pā mai ngā raru whaiaro i ngā tau e toru kua hipa.

These types of personal things make me take the last three years the most personally.

Ki te pēnei anō koe, tērā pea ka tīmata te hurihanga i konei.

If you feel the same, then might I suggest the revolution starts here.