Presbyterian Support Northern (PSN) was pleased to be selected by Parliament’s Justice Committee to make an oral submission on the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill last week.
PSN is strongly against the Bill, so the invitation to submit was a great opportunity for our GM Māori Joe Waru and CEO Shaun Greaves (pictured below) to highlight our concerns.
One of PSN’s values is Tangata Whenua and we recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a guiding document in our service delivery.
This sentiment was reflected in the oral submission delivered to the Justice Committee.
Presbyterian Support Northern strongly opposes the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill 2024 for the following reasons.
- Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed by both the Crown and over 540 rangatira. This Bill prioritises the Crown in determining, representing and advocating the position of both Māori and the Crown. It attempts to redefine the Māori notion of tino rangatiratanga within a Western framework and without involving Māori, as a recognised party to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
- There are numerous themes we could name to demonstrate how the dishonouring of Te Tiriti o Waitangi has impacted Māori across the motu. As time is limited, we will limit it to simply say:
o Implementing this Bill has the potential to negatively impact the health and wellbeing of our Māori clients.
o For example, as recently as the COVID-19 pandemic, it was found that Māori were much more likely to die from the COVID-19 pandemic. There are a range of reasons, including health comorbidities, crowded housing, higher unemployment, poverty etc. COVID-19 aside, these are all things we encounter in our work every day.
- The Bill promotes a false narrative that Māori are afforded privilege as a result of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. If that were the case, why do Māori continue to feature in the worst of the country’s health, social, justice and education statistics?
- It seems to us that the emotion driving some people’s concern is fear. Fear someone will receive something more than them. The reality is there are disparate health, social and education outcomes for Māori. What if we actually honored Te Tiriti in the way that our tupuna intended? That should be the conversation we’re having, rather than codifying principles that put the Crown first – it’s clear that the system already hasn’t been working.
- We know through our long experience, through our skilled practitioners and research that culturally appropriate practice provides more effective interventions with better outcomes.
In conclusion, we oppose the substance of the Bill and the process by which the legitimacy of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the status of Māori is being challenged. We also believe that it would lead to greater inequity and a worsening of social, health and economic conditions for Māori and, in turn, negatively impact all New Zealanders.
Instead, we challenge our elected representatives to focus effort, resources and funding on seeking solutions to improve outcomes for Māori across all the areas we’ve mentioned above. Starting with honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the best place to start.
To view a video of Shaun and Joe’s submission, please click here.