The prime minister and senior ministers have faced a grilling at the Iwi Chairs Forum hui in Tāmaki Makaurau, with a resolution passed that they won’t be invited back until things change.

Frictions between Māori and the coalition government appear to be at a new high, with the Iwi Chairs Forum deciding it will not invite the government back to another hui for the foreseeable future.

Around 80 iwi leaders have spent the last two days gathered together at the Viaduct Events Centre in Tāmaki Makaurau. The board chairs from around the country were joined by their respective iwi chief executives, as well as pakeke and rangatahi from iwi across the country for the third forum hui of the year.

The Iwi Chairs Forum, founded in 2005, is made up of the chairs of close to 80 iwi from around Aotearoa who come together four times a year to discuss various issues of national significance. There are five pou, or areas of focus, for the forum: tikanga, tangata, tahua, taiao, and take āhuarangi. Historically, members of the government only attended forums held at Waitangi but have been attending on a more regular basis in recent years.

In preparation for the government’s attendance today, the forum spent yesterday afternoon debating exactly what the chairs’ message to the government should be. While there was agreement around the dissatisfaction with policies and treatment of Māori issues, the iwi leaders had varied opinions on the best course of action.

“They’ve heard us and shown us that they can’t hear,” Aperahama Edwards, chair of Ngāti Wai, told the forum.

Mane Tahere, chair of Te Rūnanga ā-iwi ō Ngāpuhi, said his iwi would leave the forum while the kōrero with the government took place and encouraged others to follow suit. Makere Mutu, chair for Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Kahu, said the forum had been “too polite” and called for a more stern response to governmental policies, including the exploration of ideas arounds sanctions against the government. However, other chairs such as Katie Murray from Te Rarawa said smaller iwi seldom had opportunities to engage with senior members of the government and valued any chance to do so. Murray also questioned the point of not engaging with the government at the hui when many of the forum’s members were likely to do so outside of the forum anyway.

After an afternoon of debate, a resolution was proposed by Willie Te Aho, chair of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, to not invite the government to any future forums until “circumstances have appropriately changed”. The resolution was successful, passing with a seven-vote margin.

Another issue discussed on the first day of the hui was the relevance and function of the Iwi Chairs Forum, and the need for ongoing collaboration. The second day had been spent discussing the economic potential of the forum, including an open invitation from Ngāti Whātua Orākei for all iwi to coinvest in its multimillion-dollar partnership with Precinct Properties to redevelop Auckland Downtown Carpark into Te Tomokanga ki Tāmaki – The Gateway to Auckland – a 56-storey skyscraper with areas for retail and eateries. The invitation was warmly received by those in attendance, with many iwi leaders emphasising a need for ongoing collaboration in areas such as business, finance and housing.

“We have over 25% of the Māori population here in Tāmaki, we need to figure out ways to empower and grow our whānau businesses,” said Ngārimu Blair, deputy chair of the Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei Trust.

Day two began with Ngāpuhi, Te Roroa and Ngāti Manuhiri walking out of the forum before the government’s official arrival. The remaining iwi were split into six regional groups to have sit-downs with several ministers, including prime minister Christopher Luxon, Erica Stanford, Paul Goldsmith, Simon Watts, Mark Mitchell, Chris Bishop, Penny Simmonds, Casey Costello, Todd McClay and Tama Potaka. Notably missing were Winston Peters, Shane Jones and David Seymour. Each rōpu was allocated 20 minutes to engage with the ministers over issues important to their regions and iwi.

Christopher Luxon began with a grilling from Te Tai Tokerau iwi, which was probably not the best table to try an assertive approach with.

Paul Goldsmith was told in no uncertain terms by Margaret Mutu that Māori had never ceded sovereignty, in response to saying that he wasn’t up for a debate about sovereignty and whether the Crown had a right to govern the nation.

Chris Bishop was questioned about the equitable distribution of funds relating to roading infrastructure, with the example of the Brynderwyns and the Mangamuka Gorge being used. He acknowledged the issue and said the government was committed to exploring the potential of a “golden quadrangle” between Tauranga, Hamilton, Auckland and Northland. Bishop was also encouraged to ensure contracts were given to local companies, so the money remained within the regions where the work was being done.

Potaka encouraged greater collaboration among iwi, especially regarding procurement opportunities. He highlighted the ability of iwi to assert their rangatiratanga in spaces such as conservation.

Mitchell was told gangs were a product of the state’s failures to provide adequate support for those in its care. The minister for corrections and of police was challenged to focus on fixing the root causes of the gangs, as opposed to dedicating so many resources to punishment.

After two hours of intense – and at times, uncomfortable – roundtable conversations, the forum came to its conclusion.

“I need to speak to you very frankly,” is how Marama Royal, chair of Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, began her final message to the ministers in attendance. She went on to express the forum’s concerns about the government not taking steps to address the 11 expectations they set at their first hui of the year in Waitangi. She encouraged the government to bring the forum along as partners on their Te Tiriti journey. “We feel we are being ignored… This is not how partnership works. It does feel very personal and it feels like we are being attacked,” Royal said.

The prime minister then took the lectern to address the forum as a whole. He acknowledged the issues highlighted by the forum, including concerns over the legislative changes to the Marine and Coastal Act, calls for further devolvement of resources and power, ongoing investment and support, infrastructure, and the economic potential of regions such as Northland. Luxon expressed his eagerness to partner with members of the forum to help solve some of the issues talked about.

The final act of the day was the handing over of the mauri of the forum from Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei to Ngāti Kahungunu, complete with rousing waiata and haka. Iwi leaders then took their chance to grab the ears of relevant ministers before having a kai. Sadly, it seems Luxon and a majority of his other ministers hadn’t learnt from the example of Jacinda Ardern, who, when she was prime minister in 2018, failed to remain and share kai with members of the forum. Tama Potaka and Mark Mitchell appeared to know better, however, choosing to stick around and join their hosts for a kai. Potaka even jumped up to help sing the Ngāti Porou anthem Paikea as a thanks to the hosts for the kai.

This is Public Interest Journalism funded by NZ On Air.