(Full title: Maori haka in NZ parliament to protest at
bill to reinterpret founding treaty)
***
Such beautifully timed soulfood for those of us who still
value freedom and sovereignty...
Watching the clip in this article of the Haka over and
over...
*So many Whitefolk* on this planet have deep difficulties
with the reality of *equality*... They are operating
under this grave hallucination that they are somehow
*superior* to nonWhites...and they imagine this
entitlement renders their efforts to obfuscate their
intentions invisible...! ;-O So many are mistaking
current appearances of "political wrongwing victory" for
having won something of substance and value...and
longevity...
Here at home these days ahead of us may be challenging,
before greater balance can be restored...but none will
match what lies ahead for GOPers as the reality of what
they've voted for emerges...
***
New Zealand's parliament was brought to a temporary halt
by MPs performing a haka, amid anger over a controversial
bill seeking to reinterpret the country's founding treaty
with Māori people.
Opposition party MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke began the
traditional ceremonial group dance after being asked
whether her party supported the bill, which faced its
first vote on Thursday.
At the same time, a hīkoi - or peaceful protest march -
organised by a Māori rights group is continuing to make
its way towards the capital, Wellington.
Thousands have already joined the 10-day march against
the bill, which reached Auckland on Wednesday, having
begun in the far north of New Zealand on Monday.
The country is often considered a leader in indigenous
rights, but opponents of the bill fear those same rights
are being put at risk by this bill.
Act, the political party that introduced the bill, argues
there is a need to legally define the principles of the
1840 Treaty of Waitangi, which has been fundamental to
race relations in New Zealand.
The core values of the treaty have, over time, been woven
into New Zealand's laws in an effort to redress the wrong
done to Māori during colonisation.
But Act - a minor party in the ruling centre-right
coalition - say this has resulted in the country being
divided by race, and the bill will allow the treaty to be
interpreted more fairly through parliament, rather than
the courts. The party's leader, David Seymour, has
dismissed opponents as wanting to "stir up" fear and
division.
Critics, however, say the legislation will divide the
country and lead to the unravelling of much-needed
support for many Māori.
The first reading passed on Thursday after a 30-minute
break, backed by all parties from the ruling coalition.
Maipi-Clarke was suspended from the house.
It is unlikely to pass a second reading, as Act's
coalition partners have indicated they will not support
it.
But this has not placated those worried about the bill,
and its impact, with the hikoi still making progress
along its 1,000km (621-mile) route.
In Auckland, it took an estimated 5,000 marchers two
hours to cross the harbour bridge. Officials had closed
two lanes, the New Zealand Herald reported, to allow them
to continue along the route.
Danielle Moreau, who is Māori, walked over the Harbour
Bridge with her two sons, Bobby and Teddy, and told the
BBC she "was hoping it [the hīkoi] would be big but it
was much more epic than I expected".
"I marched to make the point that Te Tiriti [the Treaty
of Waitangi] is very important to our national identity,"
said Winston Pond, who also took part in the march on
Wednesday.
"We are a multi-cultural society built on a bicultural
base - something that cannot be altered."
Juliet Tainui-Hernández, from the Māori tribe Ngāi Tahu,
and her Puerto Rican partner Javier Hernández, brought
their daughter Paloma to the hīkoi.
Ms Tainui-Hernández said those who turned out in support
did so "for the respectful and inclusive nation we want
Aotearoa [New Zealand] to be for our tamariki mokopuna -
our children and grandchildren".
Kiriana O’Connell, who is also Māori, said that the
current treaty principles were already a compromise for
her people, and she would not support a "rewrite".
Under the proposed legislation, the treaty principles
that would be defined in law are:
*that the government has a right to govern and that
parliament has the full right to make laws
*that the rights of Māori are respected by the Crown
*that everyone is equal before the law and is entitled to
equal protection under it.
Act leader Seymour - who is also New Zealand's associate
justice minister - argues that because the principles
have never been properly defined legally, the courts
"have been able to develop principles that have been used
to justify actions that are contrary to the principle of
equal rights".
He says these include "ethnic quotas in public
institutions" that go against the spirit of fairness for
all New Zealanders.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, however, has called the
bill "divisive" - despite being part of the same
coalition.
Meanwhile, the Waitangi Tribunal, which was set up in
1975 to investigate alleged breaches of the Treaty of
Waitangi, notes the bill "purposefully excluded any
consultation with Māori, breaching the principle of
partnership, the Crown’s good-faith obligations, and the
Crown’s duty to actively protect Māori rights and
interests".
It also said that the principles of the bill
misinterpreted the Treaty of Waitangi and that this
"caused significant prejudice to Māori".
The tabling of the Treaty Principles Bill comes following
a series of measures introduced by the government that
have affected Māori.
They include the closure of the Māori Health Authority,
which was set up under Jacinda Ardern's Labour government
to help create health equity, and reprioritising English
over Māori when it comes to the official naming of
government organisations, for example.
While roughly 18% of New Zealand's population consider
themselves to be Māori, according to the most recent
census, many remain disadvantaged compared with the
general population when assessed through markers such as
health outcomes, household income, education levels and
incarceration and mortality rates. There remains a seven-
year gap in life expectancy.
The Treaty of Waitangi is an agreement between the
British and many, but not all, Māori tribes, which was
signed in 1840.
It is contentious as it was written in both English and
Māori - which had only been a spoken language until
colonisation - and the two versions contain fundamental
differences when it comes to issues such as sovereignty.
While the treaty itself is not enshrined in law, its
principles have been adopted over time into various
pieces of legislation.
The bill will now be sent to a select committee for a
six-month public hearing process.
|
|