(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

OPINIONPoliticsSeptember 7, 2020

Five ways the next government can be an honourable Treaty partner

Contributing writer

(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Whoever is successful on October 17, there is urgent work that needs doing to meet obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Laura O’Connell Rapira offers five to begin with.

In 1840, Māori rangatira and representatives of the British Crown signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The Māori text, which is the version of the Treaty recognised under international law, gave the British monarchy the power to control British people in this land, and guaranteed Māori would retain tino rangatiratanga over our people, land and taonga.

So why does the British Crown via New Zealand parliament govern everyone and everything in this land today? And what can the next government do to truly honour Te Tiriti?

Below I explore five crowdsourced ideas from te ao Māori.

Return Ihumātao

Lots of good writing has been done about Ihumātao. The tl;dr is the government stole the land at Ihumātao from Māori in the 1860s and it’s long pastime they gave it back.

Defund Oranga Tamariki and fund Māori solutions

Last year, over 17,000 people signed an open letter calling for transformative change of Oranga Tamariki. Among other demands, the letter calls for all decisions regarding the wellbeing of tamariki Māori to be made by whānau, hapū and iwi, and for the government to hand over resources to hapū, iwi and Kaupapa Māori organisations to ensure the wellbeing of whānau.

For inspiration on how we might achieve this, we can look to our Indigenous whānau in Canada. After more than 35 years of protest, two royal commissions, a swag of class action lawsuits, two government settlements involving billions of dollars, and an official apology to state care survivors, the federal government finally passed Bill C-92.

Bill C-92 affirms the right and jurisdiction of First Nations people to self-determine child and family services according to their knowledge, languages, values, and worldviews. The role of the federal government is to provide First Nations people with the funds to operate their own child and family care and protection services according to their cultural practices.

Given that review after review has shown that Oranga Tamariki fails Māori, the next government should transfer the ministry’s decision-making power and resources regarding iwi, whānau and hapū to iwi, whānau and hapū. Lest they end up with a class-action lawsuit on their hands.

Guarantee at least 25% of government contracts to Māori

Each year, the government spends $42 billion on a wide range of goods and services. The Māori Party would like 25% of those contracts to go to Māori.

In Australia, the federal government’s Indigenous Procurement Strategy has resulted in 12,000 new government contracts with Indigenous-owned businesses growing their revenue from $6 million to almost $2 billion in just two years. In Canada, Britain, the US and South Africa policies like this have resulted in a significant rise in the number of Indigenous-owned businesses, improving the lives of Indigenous communities.

Businesses can also do their part, as honourable Treaty partners, by adopting Indigenous procurement strategies. In a country that spends over $600 billion annually on government and business contracts, the potential for economic transformation is huge.

Make Matariki a public holiday

The people have spoken: we want a Matariki public holiday.

Adopt Te Mana o te Wai

Te Mana o te Wai is a set of freshwater recommendations for government that was developed by an impressive and diverse group of Māori experts. It outlines a “hierarchy of obligations” that should inform all decision making around freshwater use and says that the first obligation must be to protect the health and mauri of the water itself. The second is to provide for essential human health needs, such as drinking water and the third is to enable other use, provided that it does not negatively impact the mauri of the water.

In other words, Te Mana o Te Wai says that all decisions regarding our freshwater should prioritise the health of the planet first, then people, then profit. A new independent commission should be established to ensure this approach is upheld and 50% of the commissioners should be Māori.

In a country with rivers as polluted as ours, with a penchant for shipping our precious water overseas, we need a fundamental shift in the way freshwater is managed.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the foundation for a mutually beneficial relationship in which Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti share care and responsibility for this land and all of the people in it.

This list is a good place for the next government to start honouring their part of the agreement.

Keep going!

Shelley Pilkington. Photo: supplied

PoliticsSeptember 5, 2020

Last on the list: My grandad told me National was home, and he was right

Shelley Pilkington

Guest writer

Shelley Pilkington. Photo: supplied

The struggle of an early life that included hunger and homelessness is a critical part of what led Shelley Pilkington to put her hand up for the National Party. This election, she’s ranked 75th on the National list.

Read more from The Spinoff’s Last on the List series here.

“Disappointed with last on the list?” someone asked me.

No! Far from it, I replied. It’s an honour to represent the National Party and I’m keenly aware there are dozens of other extremely capable, ambitious, hardworking Party members who would also have loved the opportunity.

I’ve made no secret of my political ambitions and, living in a fairly average house in an average suburb, people have often been curious: “Why National?”

Here’s why.

Growing up, life was hard. I’d experienced hunger and homelessness and for a time been a ward of the state. When I left school I felt the pressure to work and support my family.

But one day, as a young adult, I realised that handing out money wasn’t achieving anything; I needed to leave home and take responsibility for my own future.

I went to live with my grandfather. Grandad had faced a rough childhood too but had worked hard and done well, even receiving an MBE for his significant contribution to social work. He helped me to catch a vision for my future by teaching me about goal-setting, how to budget and save money, and encouraged me to further my education.

When it came time to vote, I asked my grandfather, “Who should I vote for?”

He said, “The National Party. They’ll back you.”

And that’s been my experience.

With a strong economy that provides access to a quality education, worthwhile job opportunities, the ability to build a career, and in my case, the confidence to start a successful small business in marketing communication, I know that the values of personal responsibility, hard work and reward for effort are not just political ideology; they actually work.

Shelley Pilkington campaign phone calling with Jake Bezzant, National Party Candidate for Upper Harbour (and Ollie)

But to achieve these things well, we also need strong families and caring communities – another key National Party value. We need to be surrounded by people who believe in us – like my grandad – who invest their time and attention to lift and encourage others to be everything they were meant to be; and to be supported by a government that gives people a hand up, not just a hand out.

National Party policies, like investing in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, reflect our commitment to these values. It’s well known that a child’s experiences during these formative years are critical to setting them up for future success. To do this, National wants to make sure all new mums and dads are equipped with the right skills, relationships and access to support services which will see their child grow up in a healthy, secure and nurturing family environment.

Then there’s jobs. Keeping Kiwis in work is the biggest issue facing our country right now. There are currently about 400,000 people on the wage subsidy; when that ends what happens to them?

National recognises it is small business owners who will create the jobs to get us through this economic crisis. To demonstrate that we back them, National’s JobStart policy will provide a $10,000 cash payment to businesses that hire extra staff, giving them the confidence to create jobs. This means thousands more families will have the dignity of putting food on their own table as well as reducing the burden on taxpayers.

Despite the unprecedented challenges of Covid-19, under a National-led government businesses will be inspired to grow, invest and employ more people. National’s plan is to generate more tax revenue by sharing in business growth instead of punishing success with additional tax. A growing economy will provide more money to payback debt, to spend on infrastructure, healthcare, education and a cleaner, greener environment – the things New Zealanders really want.

I’m incredibly grateful for the life I now live with my husband and three teenaged children on Auckland’s North Shore. This motivates me to pay it forward. For the past several years I have volunteered as leader of a community development project and as board member and chairperson of a successful not-for-profit in the community sector, as well as being an active member of the National Party (aka “policy geek”).

Realistically, short of a cataclysmic disaster (God forbid!), “last on the list” is unlikely to make it to parliament next term. But I’m confident that the National Party, led by Judith Collins, has the best people and the best policies to form the next government and create opportunities for every New Zealander to achieve their goals and dreams.

I’m proud to be campaigning for a National-led government and asking everyone to vote “two ticks blue” on October 17.