Lead claimants that took Oranga Tamariki to the Waitangi Tribunal 2019 – Photo supplied
In 2019, Oranga Tamariki workers attempted to remove a newborn baby from its mother at Hawke’s Bay Hospital using section 78 ex parte of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.
This action sparked widespread protest, culminating in a #Hands off our tamariki protest march to Parliament.
Hands off our Tamariki protest march to parliament Wellington 2019 – Photo supplied
My Ph.D. candidate, student and friend, Jean Te Huia, intervened to prevent the removal from the hospital and initiated a submission to the Waitangi Tribunal, forming a lead claimant team comprising of Jean Te Huia, Kerri Nuku, Paora Moyle, Dr. Allison Green, and Dr Rawiri Waretini-Karena, versus the NZ Crown and Oranga Tamariki.
Following the success of our Waitangi Tribunal claim, we accomplished three main objectives:
1. Consolidating Section 7AA in the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.
2. Establishing an advisory board composed of Maaori Sirs and Dames to advise Oranga Tamariki.
3. Sharing power with iwi organizations such as Whanau Ora, Mokopuna Ora, and Te Hau Mirimiri Mokopuna Ora.
Lead claimants left to right Jean Te Huia, Paora Moyle, Dr Rawiri Waretini-Karena, Kerri Nuku – Photo supplied
On Monday July 29th 2024, I appeared before a parliamentary select committee to defend Section 7AA against baseless claims by the Act Party that it harms Maaori children without empirical evidence to support their allegations.
On a wider level, politicians like Jeremy Brownlee, Shane Jones, David Seymour, and Winston Peters have also made unfounded claims criticising the Treaty settlement process, suggesting the existence of a “gravy train.”
These ideas have contributed to potential bias and misrepresentation in the media.
The coalition Government has responded by implementing a strategic approach targeting Maaori to regain perceived power and control lost through Treaty settlements.
Central to this issue is the Maaori piece of the pie. This pie represents Maaori economic growth, exceeding $70 billion. Some powerful sectors perceive their share of the pie diminishing and are resorting to divisive political tactics.
However, divisive strategies lack integrity and cannot withstand public scrutiny as they are not based on empirical evidence or principles of truth and fairness.
As a result, politicians are employing the subtle art of political subterfuge cooking up their own pie recipe.
Like a chef, the coalition are adding a sprinkle of truth to their pie about the Treaty settlement process, whilst simultaneously adding a smidgen of poison labeling Maaori, as undeservedly riding a privileged gravy train at everyone else’s expense. This has prompted the coalition to add a dollop of mayhem in the form of:
1. Undermining Te Tiriti o Waitangi
2. Disbanding the Te Aka Whaiora Maaori Health Authority
3. Reversing Indigenous policies supporting Maaori
4. Attacking Te Reo Maaori
5. Eliminating Maaori wards
6. Restricting the use of karakia
7. Repealing Section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act
8. Implementing ineffective boot camps against Royal Commission recommendations
9. Failing to uphold commitments to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
10. Discriminating against the disabled community
11. Betraying promises to cancer patients
12. Providing tax breaks to wealthy landlords
13. Allowing global corporations to exploit New Zealand’s resources without benefiting local communities.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi still remains the sole document restraining the coalition and profit-driven corporations from exploiting resources at the expense of Maaori and Treaty partner rights.
The coalition will now try to present their culinary delight to parliament, the judiciary, and the general public in a persuasive manner suggesting that this “Pièce de résistance, is the epitome of excellence, akin to the best thing since “sliced bread”.
However, when scratching below the surface, it’s not too hard to determine who the real gravy train bandits are, manipulating our country behind the scene, and it isn’t Maaori. It’s wealthy profit-driven corporations and individuals who built their wealth off the back of 181 years of Te Tiriti o Waitangi breaches, leading to generations of Maaori being subject to intergenerational trauma stemming from land confiscation, poverty, and discrimination that also previously saw the Maaori economy shut down for over 100 years.
If the powers that be were honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi partners, they would understand this one substantially important point.
There is more than enough pie to go around for everyone.
Waitangi Tribunal claimant win, pre-empted the establishment of an advisory board made up of Dames & Sirs, to consult with Oranga Tamariki – Photo supplied
