My Waitangi Experience
Nāku iti nei, nā Jury Teniteni-Smeaton
This week I was honoured to represent Ngā Rangatahi o Ngāti Toa up in Waitangi for both the National Iwi Chairs Forum and the Waitangi celebrations. It was an opportunity to wānanga with other rangatahi, iwi leaders and whānau about the issues that the current Government has imposed on us. In these wānanga the urgency was twofold; 1 - that we must fight this Government and their actions that seek to diminish our rights under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and 2 - that we must move at greater urgency towards realising Tino Rangatiratanga and become independent from the Crown.
To sit at iwi chairs and hear the fears and concerns of te iwi Māori as the Government seek to pick apart Te Tiriti the statement to fight was powerful. Iwi chairs are still having to deal with issues of today such as fighting the Treaty Principles Bill, policies minimising the use of Te Reo Māori and other legislation that seek to minimise both Te Tiriti and the special relationship between the Crown and te iwi Māori. I see our iwi leaders of today holding an important frontline while our rangatahi finish sharpening our tools to take over and reinvigorate the fight for rangatiratanga haere ake nei.
On reflection, it’s evident now more than ever that rangatahi need to prepare to drive change as Ngā Tamatoa did in the 1970s. As I sat amongst thousands up on the Waitangi grounds listening to stories of decade-long battles with the crown, the likes of Hone Harawira who said there was a time when they weren’t welcome by both Māori or the Crown to Waitangi, they weren’t even allowed to cross the bridge, it made me appreciate more the idea of kotahitanga and what that means for us not only as iwi and hapu, but as Māori and as Aotearoa.
In saying that, we must be unapologetic in our Ngāti Toa-tanga. Over the weekend reference to our tūpuna were referred to often. As Ngāti Toa we have a special relationship with Te Tiriti which was cited in the dawn service proceedings the words of Pendergast CJ “the Treaty is a ‘simple nullity’”, though in the words of our rangatira Te Rauparaha ‘Ka Mate, Ka Mate, Ka Ora, Ka Ora!’ Te Tiriti is not a mere “simple nullity”, but the crystalisation of our rangatiratanga, and despite its very existence being threatened today it is alive and thriving within all of us.
Coming away from my week here in Waitangi among Ngāpuhi the kaitiaki of He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and seeing their fierce protection and assertion on their tino rangatiratanga has left me inspired. I now hope that Ngā Rangatahi o Ngāti Toa Ranagtira can be the driving force to promote rangatiratanga here in Ngāti Toa, guided by Te Tiriti, our kaumātua and mana motuhake. In the concluding words of Annette Sykes - ka whawhai tonu mātou ake ake ake.
E mihi ana ki te NICF, ki te iwi o Ngāpuhi, otirā ki te rohe o Te Pewhairangi, koutou i manaaki i tēnei purapura o Raukawa Moana ki runga o Waitangi, tēnā koutou katoa.
