A large
contingent from Ngāti Kahu attended the Te Ātiawa o te Waka a Māui hosted National
Iwi Chairs Forum (NICF) hui at Waikawa (Picton) from October 31st to
November 1st where a number of important matters were considered,
including:
(a)
Freshwater: The Freshwater group has received legal advice
that it has a strong case to take to the courts over ownership of freshwater
and the Forum supported this action being taken. Tainui is leading this work.
(b)
Climate Crisis: In addition to taking legal action against the
Crown in this country, the Climate Change group Chair, Mike Smith, is also
taking legal action against the Austrian company OMV in the International
Criminal Court (which sits in The Hague, Netherlands). OMV is the large
international oil-drilling company that is drilling off the Taranaki coast.
(c)
Data: The Forum’s Data group has managed to
negotiate an agreement on how Statistics NZ is to engage with them. It is
called Mana Ōrite (Equal Authorities) and requires each party to have equal
standing and respect for each other in the work they do. It took a multiplicity
of approaches and strategies to achieve this agreement.
(d) Pou Tikanga: Despite the Tiriti Framework agreed to by the
government and the Statement of Engagement between the Crown and the Forum, the
government is effectively ignoring it.
The Forum also delivered the following key
statement to the government party when
they came on the final day of the hui.
NATIONAL IWI
CHAIRS FORUM KEY STATEMENT
·
Under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Crown is
obligated to engage iwi early, meaningfully and effectively on any matter
affecting iwi, hapū and whānau.
·
The National Iwi Chairs Forum provides a
forum for the Crown to work alongside member iwi on improving delivery of this
obligation, while maintaining the mana and independence of all iwi of the motu.
·
The Forum notes that the Prime Minister and
the Crown have made commitments over 2019 to a relationship with the Forum that
the Crown has not fulfilled.
·
Meanwhile the Crown has embarked on several
important policy decisions over 2019 without direct input from the Iwi of the
motu and without regard for our individual settlement legislation and in the
absence of any discernible plan for engagement with Iwi.
·
This situation leaves the Forum member iwi
considering taking direct courses of action to address the serious derogation
of Crown obligations to iwi under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
·
This statement serves as notice to the Crown
of this situation.
Finally, the forum unanimously supported the government being asked to
issue a statement repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery. The Forum will be
writing to Jacinda Ardern asking her to issue a statement repudiating the
Doctrine of Discovery.
The next Forum hui is set for 4th and 5th February 2020 and will be
hosted by Ngapuhi in Waitangi. The Forum
asked that its February hui spend the bulk of its time determining strategic
priorities. Ngāpuhi as hosts will determine how best that can be achieved.
