Thousands converge Turangawaewae Marae for national hui

Saturday, 20 January 2024

Waikato Iwi estimate as many as 10,000 people have turned up for a hui called by the Māori King, Kiingi Tuheitia, as flashpoints over race relations are threatened by the new Government’s policies.

Political leaders warned Prime Minister Chris Luxon against interfering with the Treaty of Waitangi ahead of the pivotal national meeting, which intended canvassing his government’s intentions towards Māori.

The hui was convened by a rare Royal Proclamation in December, a rare step by the Kīngitanga.

A key point of concern is over ACT’s calls for a referendum on the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, and a proposed Bill. It was revealed on Friday that a Ministry of Justice document has been leaked to Te Pati Maori and to media, outlining major concerns with the Bill, which it said would be “highly contentious”.

Luxon is sending political rookie and Māori Affairs Minister, Tama Potaka, who won the Hamilton West by-election at the end of 2022, to the meeting, alongside Northcote MP Dan Bidois. This has lead to suggestions Luxon was leaving them to cop flak for policies in the ACT and New Zealand First coalition agreements - which he negotiated.

The agreements set out a governing arrangement led by Prime Minister Christopher Luxon with New Zealand First leader, Winston Peters, and ACT Party leader David Seymour sharing the deputy prime minister role.

It promised an end to what it called “race-based policies” during its term, with plans to repeal about a dozen policies and laws for Māori, such as the clause in the Oranga Tamariki Act which requires it to hold a practical commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi to improve outcomes for Māori children.

It has also promised to disestablish the Māori Health Authority, an independent organisation tasked with managing policies, services and outcomes for Māori health. Other initiatives include limiting the use of te reo Māori in the public service.

Seymour had negotiated with Luxon for National to support his Treaty Principles Bill to its first reading - one of the early hurdles on its pathway to becoming law.

It would also need to go through the select committee process, which takes about six months, and pass a second and a third reading with support from more than half of Parliament before its royal assent.

Potaka, who was the chief executive of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki prior to entering politics, an iwi based around the eastern seaboard of Tāmaki, expected discussions to be intense and said he went in good faith. He promised his government’s intention was to take the country forward.

When asked why Luxon wasn’t attending, he said he didn’t know the Prime Minister’s schedule, or whether he would face backlash for coalition policies.

“We're part of a coalition government and we've come to agreements with two other parties and I'm sure that within those agreements, we'll work through the issues, and we'll get to a position that the coalition government agrees on.”

He had already been to a number of hui this year, he said, while adding many of the issues effecting Māori were long-standing.

“There were concerns before the election about the way that some of the deplorable statistics have affected our people over the last six years,” he said in Christchurch on Thursday.

His intention was to listen, he said.

Neither ACT nor NZ First were sending representatives to the meeting, however Labour’s Māori caucus would attend.

Caucus co-chair Willie Jackson said the coalition government was threatening the rights of Māori.

“You're going to get several thousand people turn up … to plan a strategy against the Government's program. This government program is dangerous.”

Māori seats on local councils would also be among topics discussed, Jackson said.