NĀ TE WHANAU, TANGATA ORA E

Every columnist and commentator seems to have an opinion about where they think Hone Harawira should go from here and what he should do. All of them have one thing in common; they expect him to remain in Parliament. I don’t. There’s far more important work to be done outside Parliament than in, so I say he should finish this term representing Te Taitokerau then turn his back on the place.

The conventional wisdom is that central government represents the height of power in a country and is the only way for a modern state to be run. But there is another school of thought that views it as little more than a mutated and monstrous committee into which all good ideas are lured and either ruined or quietly strangled. I can picture that. I actually believe the highest human power is that found in the smallest unit of society, the whanau.

Māori society is based on whānau, hapū and iwi. So why are we sending our best into a system that bears no resemblance to our society? Our whānau, hapū and iwi are the launching pads for all our physical, emotional and spiritual aspirations. Why have we replaced them with parties and movements when it comes to our political aspirations? The wellspring of tino-rangatiratanga is found solely within the whanau. Does it not make more sense to come back and work within that rather then stay within Parliament?

Although our tikanga provides all we need to be self-governing at every level of our society, it’s no longer true that every whānau knows how to live or teach it. So there’s work to be done showing them how to organise, govern and provide for themselves.

There are also hapū who no longer function well. There’s more work to be done there to ensure that, when whānau come up against something that’s beyond their skill and knowledge, they can combine with their related whānau and act as a hapū to push their cause. Then, if they can’t get what they want as a hapū, they need to have the confidence that they can combine with other hapū and work as an iwi to progress it. Should they still fail, they may need to aggregate further and combine with their waka grouping to finish it off. But most of all, each smaller unit has to be confident that their take won’t get hijacked by the bigger units, and each bigger unit has to be willing to accept the smaller units’ right to accept or reject what they achieve. More work to be done.

Why am I shoulder-tapping Hone for the job? Because it’s all preparatory for an idea whose time is surely coming; the national Māori political forum. The current constitutional review being lead by Moana Jackson is bound to progress its development. Before it’s established though, we must ready the whānau, hapū, iwi and waka to instruct it. What better preparation then to reinforce in them the tikanga of self-government? And who better to lead that mahi then the guy with the most political nouse and experience outside Parliament?

Whina Cooper said it in her karanga on the Herbs album – “Na te whanau, tangata ora e.’ How’s that for a post-political manifesto Hone?

Might be easier to stay in Parliament ne?