Political leaders are being challenged by Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po to look beyond the “politics of today” to focus on building upon nationhood.
A pōwhiri for parliamentarians is currently underway at Tūrangawaewae Marae in Ngāruawāhia for the annual Koroneihana celebrations. Leaders from all the main parties were invited but National's Christopher Luxon, ACT's David Seymour and NZ First's Winston Peters did not attend.
Kiingitanga spokesperson Rahui Papa said leaders should expect to be challenged during the whaikōrero.
“Come with an open mind and come with your bulletproof vests on because there are a number of things that will be spoken about on the marae today,” he said.
“What we are seeking though is for them to come and listen rather than come and dangle lollies in front of te iwi Māori. We want them to come and listen and influence their manifestos as they go forward into an election."
Papa said Koroneihana was a “golden opportunity” for leaders to hear the aspirations of Māori and the solutions Māori can provide.
“We will look after the people that show up on our doorstep, and if they have chosen not to come, that's on them.”
He said their paepae (speaker’s bench) have been told to address the issues but “leave the door open for some conversations”.
'Kua hōha' – Iwi leader fed up with 'lazy' politicking on Treaty issues
Ngāi Tahu leader Justin Tipa, who was welcomed on to the marae yesterday, opened the whaikōrero (speeches) for hosts.
Speaking for the majority of the time in English, he addressed the current state of national politics - "64 days out from an election" - particularly on the topic of Treaty issues.
“I have misgivings about the way Treaty issues have been framed and debated. The debate has been shallow. It’s been short-sighted. Low resolution. It’s been lazy.
"We will always have differences; we will always have debates but let us not allow the righteousness of our kaupapa to be an excuse for bad behaviour. For cheap politics, and for lazy thinking of matters of constitutional significance.”
His message for the centre-right leaning was not to dismiss Treaty and Māori issues as simply “radical wokeism”.
“It’s an old line. It’s a tired line. You may get mileage out of it engari kua hōhā (but we’re fed up [with it]).
“We can take some lessons from the Kiingitanga here today. There’s one simple principle that the Treaty rests upon and that’s what came after needs not annihilate what came before.”
To the centre-left he said the challenge remains the same: to bring practical and constructive solutions.
“Build on the strong foundations we’ve inherited. We must get rid of the zero-year thinking where every three years we expect whoever we vote for to come in and reshape the country to align with our political fancies. Kua hōhā.”
Before taking his seat, he finished by welcoming the leaders to “te ana taniwha” – the taniwha den.
'What are we building together?' – Te Arikinui
Nationhood is at the forefront of mind for Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po, the Māori Queen, according to the Kiingitanga.
Papa acknowledged there were difficult issues and genuine differences to be confronted.
“Te Arikinui’s challenge is that we cannot allow those differences to stop us asking a bigger question: what are we building together?”
He said protecting the commitments already made between iwi and the Crown through Treaty settlements was of particular importance to Te Arikinui and that action that risks undermining them must be taken seriously.
He said political leaders will be able to speak of their ambition for the future at the pōwhiri today.
“An election determines who governs for the next three years. Nationhood is about something much longer, the country our tamariki and mokopuna will inherit.”
“Te Arikinui is asking our political leaders to tell us what they will do to build a nation that is confident in who it is, honours its commitments, can disagree without becoming divided, and leaves something stronger for the generations that follow.”
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