THE VALUE OF BELONGING

One of many positive aspects that both lead into and come out of the ongoing kōrero about constitutional transformation in Aotearoa, is the commitment of many Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti to base our written constitution on mutually agreed values that will underpin and support good relationships between all people who live here. 

The report of Matike Mai o Aotearoa has synthesised their kōrero into seven key values; the value of tikanga, the value of community, the value of belonging, the value of place, the value of balance, the value of conciliation and the value of structure.  The Rangatahi Group that worked with Matike Mai also added six further values; the value of the wellbeing of Ranginui and Papātūānuku, the value of Mana Motuhake, the value of traditional knowledge, the value of kotahi aroha, the value of education, and the value of health and wellbeing. 

Last year I presented extracts from the Matike Mai report covering the values of tikanga and community.  This year I begin with this extract on the value of belonging.  [1]Although clearly linked to the value of community, the value of belonging is more focussed on how the inclusivity of the treaty relationship can foster the sense of belonging in this country for everybody living here.   

The kōrero of Tangata Whenua on this topic was marked by a generous spirit towards others, but it was also an expression of the fact that most of them, through knowing their whakapapa, were generally secure in their own identity and sense of belonging and wanted others to have the same security.  They also felt that Te Tiriti was an important extrinsic affirmation of what that meant and believed that our constitution could usefully begin by reaffirming the place of Tangata Whenua –

“A constitution should be about who we are, and having something about our whakapapa to this place would be a good way to do that…and something about us, and not Pākehā, deciding who’s a Māori would be good as well”.

By the same token they believed that, through Te Tiriti, our constitution could also reaffirm the place of Tangata Tiriti –

“When we were in Washington we went to see their Constitution and Declaration of Independence and there was this long line of Americans queueing up to see it…like it was sacred and really important… it seemed to tell them who they were and where they belonged…the treaty doesn’t do that for most Kiwis at the moment because it’s been caught up in all sorts of controversies, but if there was a kōrero in a constitution that talked about it and said we were Tangata Whenua it would help our people….and if it said something about Te Tiriti and Pākehā as well…that might help them feel they belong in the same way”.

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[1] ^[1] Thirty-fourth edited extract from pp. 79 – 80 of He Whakaaro Here Whakaumu Mō Aotearoa – The Report of Matike Mai o Aotearoa

SPHERES OF INFLUENCE

[1]Since 2010, participants at Matike Mai o Aotearoa hui have consistently advocated for a Tiriti o Waitangi based constitution that protects and upholds the right of all peoples to fully participate in the political affairs of this country.

Because Te Tiriti was between the rangatiratanga in behalf of Tangata Whenua, and the kawanatanga in behalf of Tangata Tiriti, there is value in constitutionally enshrining these two different spheres of influence as well as a relational sphere between them.  Such an arrangement would protect the right of everyone to have an effective voice in governing this country.  

 

So who would qualify to participate or be represented in each sphere of influence?  And how might the often vexed question of identity be reconciled with any general statement about participation? Who decides who belongs in which sphere?

There is truth in the old adage that “the namer of names is the father of all things” and redefining who Māori are has been a constant form of colonising control. Indeed since 1840 there have been numerous different legislative definitions of Māori, many of them in statutes about land and the taking of land.

However the right to define oneself is an essential part of self-determination, so it is logical and right that each party to Te Tiriti will decide its own grounds for participation and representation in its own sphere.  They would naturally then also choose their own representation in any relational sphere. 

“Our whakapapa tells us who we are…what matters is how we live our whakapapa and where we put our effort…we then make a choice in this process where we want to stand”. 

“It’s not a complicated issue…it was colonisers that started saying there were only half Māori or quarter Māori and that was just to control us…a constitution would have to get rid of all that…it doesn’t mean giving up what else is in our whakapapa…my Nan’s from Australia…but I’m not a half anything”.

“However we define who we are…the main thing is that we find a robust way of making sure everyone has a say…to make sure we would always have our say through our own tikanga”.

“The change we are talking about is the next step past merely biculturalising the Crown to finding something that’s not assimilative or integrationist or a British clone transplanted here…something unique where we make political decisions here in a way that represents or conveys what being here means”. 

This emphasis on the value of good social relations in both treaty and constitutional terms indicates a genuine generosity of spirit. It is also a reminder that when constitutions set out the rules about how people should govern themselves, they are not just setting out a legal or political document, they are also establishing relationship guidelines between those people in their different spheres of influence.

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[1] Thirty-third edited extract from pp. 78 – 79 of He Whakaaro Here Whakaumu Mō Aotearoa – The Report of Matike Mai o Aotearoa

TANGATA WHENUA AND TANGATA TIRITI

[1]Everyone who has taken part in the hui of Matike Mai o Aotearoa since 2010 are mindful of the recent increase in immigration.  And, even though some unfortunately share the common misapprehensions about Asian immigration in particular, the essential view that Te Tiriti o Waitangi applies to all people, and therefore has immigration connotations, remains the same. Where the immigrants come from or when they arrived is less important than the relationship with all new arrivals that the tūpuna hoped for in Te Tiriti.

"It seems to me that if we talk about values in a constitution we have to talk about our relationships with every immigrant whether they came here in 1850 or 2015…and if they came from China or South Africa they are part of the treaty…they might be here because of some Crown policy, but some might want to be part of us and that’s fine because the treaty is still with us”.

When I talk about the treaty relationship with other people I like using tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti because it puts everything in perspective about how this thing might work…it values everyone on a whakapapa or relationship kaupapa rather than just a Crown one”.

One of the difficulties in the whole treaty debate has been that it’s always seen as just a Māori problem as if it’s just about our rights.  But Te Tiriti gave everyone else the really basic right to be here…doesn’t matter when they arrived…there’s a treaty relationship for everyone”.

“I’m not that fussed about using the word biculturalism because it’s sometimes just a cooption of our tikanga…like dial-a-kaumātua or dial-a-pōwhiri or rolling out a wero for every old Pop Star who comes here…but where it does have some use is reinforcing the treaty relationship at a much more personal level with everyone who has come here to stay and is now Tangata Tiriti”.

“When we say ‘he aha te mea nui?’ we don’t just mean us or the Pākehā who’ve been here for generations. It’s everyone and that’s what Te Tiriti allows for…that we now have this multicultural place but it all began in the treaty and the relationship that’s meant to exist between us and the Crown”.

“It’s just tikanga to recognise the relationship with Tangata Tiriti even if they haven’t always recognised us…that’s a really important value but it needs the same manaaki that our people tried to show to the first Pākehā”. 

A people’s trust in a constitution, and their willingness to be part of it, always depends to some extent upon the mechanisms it has to ensure participation in a fair and equitable way for all of those whom it is designed to serve.  That is why the constitutional findings and recommendations of Matike Mai are now being presented to and discussed by ever-increasing numbers of Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti. 

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[1] Thirty-second edited extract from pp. 77 – 78 of He Whakaaro Here Whakaumu Mō Aotearoa – The Report of Matike Mai o Aotearoa