[ad_1]
Parliamentarians have been officially welcomed to Waitangi, 183 years after the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Representatives from all parties were welcomed at once, during the parliamentary pōwhiri at the Treaty Grounds.
Organisers from the Waitangi National Trust asked that the pōwhiri be conducted predominantly in te reo Māori.
While the two biggest parties, National and Labour, conveyed the majority of their speeches in English, the minor parities stuck almost entirely to te reo Māori.
READ MORE:
* Ngāti Rangitihi Treaty milestone hailed as ‘significant step’ towards new relations with Crown
* Marlborough’s Treaty of Waitangi story and hope for next chapter
* Waitangi on Sunday: Quietness is ‘surreal’, time for honest reflection
The Green Party chose be represented by Teanau Tuiono, so their kōrero could be entirely in te reo. ACT leader David Seymour also delivered his speech in te reo Māori, saying he’d sought help from a friend to translate and learn it.
His speech centred around the ACT Party interpretation of Te Tiriti.
He called for equal opportunity, a continuation of the Treaty Claims process, and support for Māori language and culture. He also said ACT supported “tino rangatiratanga”, but only in the sense of self-autonomy under the Government.
“E whakapono ana mātou ki te tino rangatiratanga ō ngā tāngata katoa ki raro i te mana whakahaere o te kāwanatanga,” he said.
Many of Seymour’s Ngāpuhi whanaunga won’t agree with his interpretation of tino rangatiratanga. In fact, the Ngāpuhi treaty settlement has stalled in large due to the iwi’s strong belief that tino rangatiratanga is of greater importance than kāwantanga and implies self-governing powers.
Nevertheless, many tangata whenua celebrated Seymour’s attempt to give it a go with te reo Māori. Seymour has whakapapa in Northland, which he recounted at the start of his whaikōrero. He is from the Ngāti Rehia hapū, of Kerikeri.
Former NZ First MP Shane Jones also spoke during the pōwhiri, although he and Winston Peters were there to welcome the parliamentarians to Waitangi and sat with the tangata whenua.
Labour and Green MPs were welcomed to Te Tii Marae on Saturday, although Hipkins did not attend the pōwhiri at Te Tii. Hipkins said he would be happy to return to Te Tii Marae, but it wasn’t on his schedule for this year.
In his speech, he recounted “fears” of the 1990s when the Treaty Settlement process started.
“There was nothing to fear. And much of the contemporary debate, unfortunately is still characterised by a degree of uncertainty and fear. With honesty and with understanding we can overcome this,” he said.
National leader Christopher Luxon urged the Government to work with greater haste to address outstanding historical claims such as the Ngāpuhi. He said the Government should set a deadline of 2030 to attempt and settle the last historical claims.
Pā to return to hapū
Ahead of Sunday’s pōwhiri, Regional Development Minister Kiri Allan announced that an historic Northland pā with links to Ngāpuhi rangatira Hongi Hika is to be handed back to iwi, after collaboration between Government, private owners and local hapū.
The land, which is now a farm, had been home to Ngāti Ueoneone and Ngāti Tautahi.
“It is fitting that the ceremony for the return of the Pākinga Pā site is during Waitangi weekend,” said Allan.
“The return of this site west of Kaikohe reflects the continuing partnership between Crown and iwi, and the determination of local Pakeha and Māori landowners to honour the shared history of their community.
“The Coleman family and the Nikora whānau currently own the farmland which includes the location of the historic pā, as well as the access road needed to open up the site as a heritage, cultural and education centre for visitors and locals.
“Thanks to the generosity and respect shown by these private landowners, and $750,000 investment by a Government regional economic development fund, the Pākinga Pā site will be transferred to a Whenua Tōpū Trust to manage in perpetuity on behalf of Ngāpuhi.”
[ad_2]
Source link