[Tu Galala – Case Studies]
CHAPTER NINE
Tino Rangatiratanga:AOTEAROA
Pauline E. Tangiora
E tu kahikatea
Hei whakapae ururoa
awhi mai awhi atu
tatou, tatou e.
Tihei Mauri Ora mauri noa.
Stand with strength in your convictions
for they will clear your path
Help will come your way — and from you to others
Come so we will be one in purpose and unity
These things I say for I am alive, I am a woman.
This essay can only be written from the perspective of the writer — no one may presume to write on behalf of Maori.
One needs to take into account what Professor Hirini Mead said when he was asked for the Maori version of the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi: ‘O ratou taonga katoa.” The treaty protects the ‘tangible and the intangible' things. This is what the treaty means to me. Maybe it was sad that there was not enough dialogue 151 years ago. Maori sought protection by partnership in the treaty with the Pakeha, but did not give away its kawanatanga, its sovereignty, its mana, or its self-determination. In fact, the Maori text confirmed to the chiefs and the hapu ‘te tino rangatiratanga', or sovereignty, of their lands, resources and so on. Unfortunately, what was to have been a sacred covenant has now divided people.
One would ask, ‘Is this a symbol of disunity — because people are confused or they don't understand? In this confusion it has been difficult for our people to move ahead.
So many people's conceptions, conflicting views and interpretations make it very hard achieve harmony; for Maoridom to move forward in self-determination; for both Maori and Pakeha to work for a bicultural country. Overall, the vision that I see of the treaty is a sacred document between two people with their own sovereign rights and it should be honoured as such. But we need to look further than where we are today. We are close to the year 2000. What is it going to mean for my mokopuna (grandchildren) of the future? What is it going to mean to those who do not believe that the indigenous people have their own rights in their own country? Constitutionally, it has brought Maoridom to the point where we have taken a stand.
Here are some examples of what has happened in the past to explain the present and the effects in the future. Between the 1860s and the l880s was the period of political development and land confiscation, while Maoridom declined in the final decade of last century. This happened because under the 1852 constitution, only individual property owners could vote. Had there been proportional representation at the time, there would have been equality. Land and property was not the right of individual owners then, so what should have been a just law was obviously unjust. In 1863, the New Zealand Settlement Act was passed, enabling Maori land to be confiscated for military settlers. How dare people coming to a land enact such a law!
The imbalance has been retained to this day. For example, over the years the Electoral Commission revised the Pakeha representation after each census to give them more parliamentary sears. But have we seen that upwards revision of the four Maori seats as the Maori population has grown again? This is a question politicians need to answer.
The difficulty in Aotearoa today is the cultural racism that is evident. Sometimes it is hard to see this cultural racism, because Pakeha values and beliefs are seen as the norm. To move outside those values means Maori become a threat and things get sadly misconstrued, misunderstood or just ignored. Prejudices make for a society that ends in condemnation. Nga tikanga Maori, the language, the culture, is living and personified here in Aotearoa and is unique to this country; and no matter how often we say it, others who have come here do have roots elsewhere. This also includes those of the Pakeha who immigrated here 151 years ago. We can still go throughout the country and see the many Irish clubs, Scottish clubs, Yugoslav - societies; the Jewish people have their own grouping. Is it wrong that the Maori expect our Parliament to make laws that have a Maori perspective that must be also binding for Pakeha?
Pakeha need to accept that biculturalism must enrich all those who live here, for to grow up with an understanding of both languages must benefit our country as a whole. There is no place for assimilation. The blending of two races also allows those who so choose to have two nations in one country. Why should it be a threat when we talk about two nations?
One often hears the comment, ‘There are no Maori in this country!' It is important that those who do not understand what is a Maori are given the opportunity here to look at what we, the Maori, say we are. To be a Maori you need a whakapapa (genealogv). A whakapapa will take you from your canoe through the different generations into your tribal linkages. Thai, plus the wairua — the integral part of a human being that tells you who and what you are — are what makes a Maori. So when I hear such statements being made I feel very sad; Maori people have the choice of taking either their Maori or the Pakeha side. Indeed, in many families — as in mine — some say they are Maori, others say they are Pakeha, while others say they are New Zealanders. Whatever they choose is their right, but nobody can deny the right of someone who chooses to be Maori to be what they choose.
The Maori economy was closely integrated on a tribal basis by early last century. The land grants that were given to chiefs disrupted this way of life. So we had to change the way we lived. The question one needs to ask now is, ‘Is separate development a threat?' Autonomy and self-determination are positive ways in which Maori people take responsibility for their future. There is a need to accept that the long-term benefits for this country will be positive.
In many other countries the national language is taught first, plus perhaps one or two dialects or a completely different language. There is a continual cry here that there is no place for the Maori language, yet last year we read that those who were fluent in Maori also attained the top marks in Japanese! Maybe we should be raising questions about a statement that we often read, ‘If you have two or more languages you complement anything else that you may learn in your life.' Hence Maori should be taught alongside English so that each person may grow up respecting the beauty of each other's language. To have knowledge means the people move forward.
Here is an example of ignorance and yet it has power; somebody wrote to the New Zealand Post official in charge of issuing postage stamps asking for the name Aotearoa to be included on the stamps. The official objected, claiming firstly that overseas people would not know where Aotearoa is. How sad that this sort of things happens! The official went on, explaining that the Maori language, culture and traditions could be better promoted through specific stamp issues dedicated to these subjects — such as a recent stamp issue, ‘Heritage — The Maori'. But that wasn't the point. The question had been asked about Aotearoa, the original name of this country. Why cannot we reinstate Aotearoa as it was before Pakeha — the Dutch Pakeha in fact — came to this country?
Why suddenly is there an urge for Maoridom to take its rightful place? So many people say for more than 150 years we have lived happily together. The Maori are a proud people with their own ways of crying and weeping — and that has always been on the marae. If those people who make statements about us all living happily together had researched some of the papers that are in the archives, they would see how often Maori had approached government over their rights. Maori people have felt the struggle for so long that now we must move on.
Maybe we need our rangatahi (young leaders) to stand up, to stand tall and challenge us in what we should be doing. In this new age of technology, the new age of knowing how things are done, we need them to say, ‘The time is now.' How long must we wait? We have already waited 151 years, so now with this challenge from our rangatahi the time has come to speak our. It is not a case of wanting to hurt anybody; it is a case of suffering on the marae and in homes for so long it needs to be brought into the open. It's like a sore. When it festers it infects other parts of the body. If it is lanced and attended to, the person becomes whole and well. This is what is happening to the Maori people now.
The Struggle for Te Reo Maori
The Maori people have been forced to go to court for injunctions on such issues as our fishing rights, timber rights, on behalf of te reo Maori, education and land rights There has been a continual challenge to Maori, and the tenacity of Maoridom has been so amazing that we have been able to address all these challenges The continual baiting of our people to draw them into discord, to argue, to enter conflict, person against person, tribe against tribe, is a political way of upsetting the people so that they do not know where to turn. It is rather like the saying, ‘Throw out the scraps and they will fight over it'.
This is not the way we, as educated people, Maori and Pakeha, should be in this country. Many have turned to see what their strengths are and looking back over the last ten years there has been much progress. The first of these at the beginning of the 1980s arose out of the hui of kaumatua. The movement to set up kohanga reo (language nests) has made great strides in regaining te reo Maori, our language.
For many years the nannies have carried out this mahi in homes, in halls, in garages, and even a tent — where there was a need. They worked unpaid, no help, but they worked as whanaunga (relatives). This not a case of tribal superiority, but a case of need. The need was to retain te reo Maori. It is well known that without a language the people are lost. Why some Maori have lost the language today is not the argument. With Te Kohanga Reo movement, the government realised after three or four years it wasn't going to go away. It wasn't going to revert and be dropped. It was one of the fastest-growing initiatives in Maoridom, to the point where it is now funded in partnership with the Education Department and Ministry of Maori Affairs.
However, children who started at kohanga reo, aged between nine months and five years, have now moved on to primary school. For several years these children have been lost because there was nothing to build on what they had already learned. This raised the concern of many parents; what was going to happen to such tamariki (children)? So throughout the country there has been a move towards not only the bilingual school, but to total immersion in te reo Maori. This, no doubt, will be the saving grace for our younger generation. Sir John Bennett, chairman of Te Kohanga Reo, has been impressed with how kohanga reo have moved forward at such a pace.
Another Maori initiative in education was fundraising in the early 1960s for a putea (basket) to enable Maori children to attend schools and tertiary institutions. Fund raising was done by Maori parents and community, and subsidised. This initiative has helped hundreds to obtain qualifications. The Maori Education Foundation still has funds for Maori people to gain tertiary education.
Polytechnics throughout Aotearoa are now having to look at Maori programmes specifically, not only for te reo but also nga tikanga Maori. However, one hears the murmurings of separatism. Is it really separatism? My belief is that it is safeguarding what was inherently Maori by right. It is important that we understand the meaning of separatism. Maybe people should look at themselves to understand what they are about. We are not all one people, as I said earlier. What is really happening is that te reo has raised the self-esteem of our people, who for a long time have been alienated, and have undergone a process of conditioning that we are one people — a New Zealand national identity through assimilation.
In the past ten years whakapapa has come alive. Rangatahi and kaumatua are now imbued with knowing where they come from and who they are now. They have discovered that their neighbour down the road is a part of them. The student at school started to say, ‘Hi, cuzzie.' Being Maori is not by degree of blood, as previously said, but by the relationship of his waka and his tipuna.
The Evolution of Women's Strengths
The Maori is alive. No more will our people remain dormant, speaking of the old days. At hui after hui, challenges have gone out — ‘Korero'. The time for action is now. We have a young woman doing her doctorate — Kathy Irwin, a lecturer at Victoria University . She is an example of how determined Maori women gain their degrees and in ways not usually attributed to the mainstream. It is people like her who will provide the teachers of the future. Kathy Irwin has used examination methods that have not been in the normal course of university examination. For example, instead of making students sit written exams, she has made it possible for oral exams to be accepted. People like Kathy will consolidate positive ways for our young Maori people, and our not so young who are also going back to study and achieving well.
Urbanisation has affected the evolution of our culture, especially over the past fifty years. Women can no longer be seen as peripheral to society. Maori women are entering business and professions on a par with their male counterparts, both Maori and Pakeha. That is evolution in itself This has exasperated the men, for they have not yet been able to accept the shift in our own Maori society. Women have strengths equal to or better than others around them. To move in two worlds is a challenge, and the marae is the nurturer for the Maori. When women are on the marae they retain their very special place. But we need to realise that women can stand alongside and make decisions on a national scale with their male counterparts, and this should be acknowledged by people in government.
Land issues always have their important place. For example, Nganeko Mihinnick with her conservation campaign is forever challenging the government and its right to pollute the waterways. We have Titewhai Harawira, who believes as she sees her issues and is one of the original movers of the Nuclear-Free and Independent Pacific (NFIP) movement. Remaining on the land has not been an option for young Maori women and many end up in the cities — no work and no money. Yet initiatives such as Te Kakano, Wahine Maori, and the Maori Women's Welfare League have played a big part in Maori women standing tall. Groups such as these have looked at drawing out the talents these women have through film-making, artistry, poetry, writing and painting You name it and you will find it. Georgina Kirby, past president of the Maori Women's Welfare League, has been very successful in administering the Maori Women in Business Fund, which has been able to help many Maori women become established in business.
Surely when Maori women can feel proud of their achievement it must also uplift the whanau (extended family) and the whole of Maoridom. Women such as Dame Whina Cooper, Dr Elizabeth Murchie, Dame Mira Szazy, and Hinewirangi Kohu have attended conferences in Aotearoa and overseas with important take (causes). Among others are Waireti Walters, who has called for a commitment from parliamentarians on health issues; Lena Manuel, guardian for Maori on the Historic Places Trust, and those who are ever present on the marae ‘ahi kaa' — keeping the fires burning. We have support also from our men in the many programmes that are run for rangatahi.
When we come to iwi development many initiatives have been successful. Some have gone into tourism, others into forestry, fishing, horticulture and other initiatives, but unfortunately the forestry has had a sharp knock-back through the state-owned enterprises. There are some concerns over the fisheries because the allocation of quota percentages is not going the way it should. Where iwi have no economic base, it has been hard to meet the needs of our times.
Unlike Pakeha society, the whanau concept demands loyalty to the hapu, the iwi and — even in today's world, Maori being a living culture — draws its strengths from the tangihanga (time of mourning). The marae is from where being Maori begins; it is alive and will live on. Throughout the country the marae are being rebuilt.
As we go into the year 2000 we realise that there is a future that many of us will not be here for, but self-determination must go ahead. There is a determination to succeed and this can only happen with hard work and by overcoming obstacles. This can be achieved by true consultation and actually listening to each other. One needs to challenge the word ‘consultation' that has been used over the last three or four years. Often when we stand before select committees making submissions about a bill before it becomes law we waste our time. The decision has already been made — the bill is a fait accompli . Usually the select committee just goes away and carries on with what it chooses to do. They don't really want to listen during the consultation, but in order to live up to the democratic image they must appear to be consulting and listening.
The planning and implementation for what will be done in future must be carried out responsibly. Maoridom has responsible people with many skills. Sadly the tasks that are left to our people are not always done by those who are capable or have had the appropriate training. But government must accept those people that we Maori put our trust in. Using the Maori people as a political football must stop. There is no justice in anyone using Maori people so that they can say we have had ‘consultation'. Why do we have consultation if people do not want to listen? It is no wonder that many of Maoridom's qualified people leave this country. Politicians from all sides need to understand that when conflicts arise, sitting down with the ordinary person — what we call the flaxroots — will provide a different picture.
Standing up for Our Pacific Whanau
What do we have as we enter the next decade? We need to realise that the Pacific and South-East Asia is our region. We need to target this area for business, education, for a way of life, and encompass what we have previously said in the Asia-Pacific area. We cannot allow our ocean to be used for nuclear testing or dumping of waste. As Maori we support the land struggles of the Pacific as well as those countries fighting the multinationals that are destroying many island nations abusing their forest and environment. We also support indigenous struggles for peace, justice and self-development.
If we are not awake to the fact that other governments want to take over in our region, we will lose our autonomy altogether. We already have small countries in the Pacific being dominated by others. We have so many world charters to refer to — International Human Rights is one example. But when it comes down to the basics of justice for humanity, we must look within our own country. Referring to the past does not mean that we cannot adapt to the present. Culture must evolve with an ongoing physical and social environment. We often hear a phrase from women and rangatahi that reminds me of a song, ‘The times they are a-changing'. Women have actual roles as mentioned earlier — being mothers, as well as bringing home a pay packet, which has resulted in fewer nannies being around. Each family's choice of standard for themselves must be respected and not conflict with the traditional role that is expected of them.
The Pacific family is only hours away. Technology is taking over many areas of employment. It is the land that will endure — the future must include solutions for the land issues. Maori, as was traditional in the past, will select field workers, weavers, carvers, office workers, and will look forward to sharing in co-operatives. It is an exciting time for Maori people. Some of our young groups are now actually bartering among themselves in the old way, growing gardens cooperatively and sharing their kai. Other whanau groups that have technological skills are exchanging their knowledge.
The Pakeha must not take it upon themselves to judge what is best for Maori. The ethnocentric attitudes that others have of Maori are inherited, caused by intolerance and lack of understanding. Today we have to ask ourselves seriously whether we need to spend more time in dialogue. Together we have a richness we can exchange. Making judgements on what we perceive as right may not be acceptable. In fact it may be offensive, creating barriers that are difficult to dismantle.
Where do we go from here? We have a very positive future ahead. Our mokopuna will be well educated and learn to be tolerant of each other. We must address the fact that we have one country, but two nations. We can do this by sitting down without conflict and listening to each other. If we are honest we will realise every person has a right to their tino rangatiratanga. Nobody can take this away from us.
The sesquicentennial of 1990 has long gone. The celebration of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi was for many salt on a festering wound. Granted, many wonderful events were inaugurated up and down Aotearoa. Families, businesses, local bodies, dramas, films and other activities were given funds or permission to use the official 1990 logo, which seemed to say ‘We are one people'. But let us take seriously what was not heard in 1990—the withdrawal of Maoridom from many of these so-called celebrations. For many Maori it was not the rime to celebrate; it was a time to commiserate on the suffering that followed the treaty. Let us build a foundation for the year 2000. We need people of wisdom and aroha to lead us. It isn't going to be easy, but it can and will be done. As we say in Maoridom, ‘If your basket and mine are put together, we'll have a full basket. Then it will truly be the living force of the Treaty of Waitangi.'
Me Aro Koe ki te Ha o Hine-ahu-one.
Pay Heed to the Dignity of Women.