[1] At the Matike Mai o Aotearoa hui, Rangatahi
Māori shared many of the concerns of their elders about the current political
environment and the current Westminster political system which does not work or
support many of our whānau, and does not provide a space for mana
motuhake.
“I
guess if it’s called the Westminster system that says it all really…it’s not
the Kahungunu system or the Tūhoe system that’s for sure…and it’s not a treaty
system”.
“Who
is it that actually controls our country? Is it really Pākehā or the Crown? Or
is it actually foreign businesses? Why is it that we can only have a political
say when we are 18? We can hold a driver’s license and gun license at 16; be
conscripted to go to war at 16, and consent to sex at 16; but we can’t
politically participate? The current system does not work and our rangatahi
know it – why are changes not being made?”
In their kōrero, the rangatahi also emphasised the need to
recognise and protect our diversity as hapū – not just iwi – and our right and
ability to self-govern according to kawa and tikanga, He Whakaputanga, Te
Tiriti o Waitangi and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
In that context, rangatahi saw the traditional knowledges,
systems and institutions of Iwi and Hapū as another important value, because
they are fundamental to our cultural integrity and survival.
“Just
knowing mātauranga and te reo is a value in itself…if it’s part of a
constitution it gets protected but gives the constitution mana as well”.
“If
this is in a constitution then it becomes part of our rangatiratanga and we can
make the policies about it and not the Crown”.
Our rangatahi especially emphasised the need to acknowledge
and celebrate the differences between each hapū and iwi, including the
differing kawa, tikanga, reo and mita (dialects) of each hapū.
They also understood that traditional knowledges, systems and institutions are a complex part of the broader Māori intellectual tradition which also needs to be constitutionally protected in some way.
They also understood that traditional knowledges, systems and institutions are a complex part of the broader Māori intellectual tradition which also needs to be constitutionally protected in some way.
It was their view that recognising our traditional knowledges
as a value in itself and then protecting them in a constitution would make it
easier to restore, reclaim and re-practice our tikanga and kawa as well as the
learning, teaching and transmission of Te Reo Māori.
It would also ensure that Iwi and Hapū could retell their own histories in their own ways and, most importantly, reclaim the proper roles of men and women and tuakana and teina.
It would also ensure that Iwi and Hapū could retell their own histories in their own ways and, most importantly, reclaim the proper roles of men and women and tuakana and teina.
[1] Forty-fifth edited extract
from pp. 96 – 97 of He Whakaaro Here Whakaumu Mō Aotearoa – The Report of
Matike Mai o
Aotearoa
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