Kiingi Tuheita Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII (1955 – 2024) (Photo: Waikato Tainui)
In January, Kiingi Tuheitia took the unprecedented step of calling all iwi to Tūrangwaewae in response to the new government’s policies on kaupapa Māori.
He addressed the crowd of more than 10,000 himself, with a message of unity and hope. Here’s what he said.
Thank you for coming. By turning up, we have sent a strong message. And it’s a message that has been heard around the world.
Today, I started something new. And this is just day one. Our time is now. Kotahitanga is the way.
You know how Winston talks about “elite Maoris”? We’re all elite Māori. Elite? Because of our whakapapa and our mana.
And people are watching us. We should take pride in what we are doing.
To those who want to divide us, I say this: The Treaty of Waitangi gives tauiwi their right to be here, and confirms that we were already here.
We’re only interested in one version: te reo.
Sometimes I think I should get Panekiretanga to translate Te Tiriti into plain English so those fullas down in Wellington can understand. There’s no principles. The Treaty is written. That’s it.
New Zealand is the easiest country in the world to change a law. Each government comes in, and says: “Oh, we don’t like that law. We’ll put a submission through. We’ll change that.” They can change anything they like.
But what I want is for the Treaty to be engrossed in law that says that they can’t change nothing. To understand the Treaty, you need our reo and tikanga. Don’t look at the courts to understand the Treaty. Look to the marae.
Mana motuhake is ours. It will last forever. It lives in every iwi and hapū. Our tikanga shows us the way, to keep us safe.
Today, I think we’ve made strong statements about mana motuhake. You’ve come from all over the motu — that’s a strong message.
The voice of rangatahi is important. The kōhanga movement is coming through.
They’re on their way. They have answers for today and tomorrow. Thank you to all the rangatahi who came today. Your voice matters, and you will be heard. Kia kotahitanga.
The best protest we can make right now is being Māori. Be who we are. Live our values. Speak our reo. Care for our mokopuna, our awa, our maunga. Just be Māori. Be Māori all day, every day. We are here. We are strong.
We should use this time to build kotahitanga. We need to be united first, and then we decide our future.
After this, we go to Rātana in the west. Then Waitangi in the north. The kōrero continues. We’re not finished. Ngāi Tahu, we must come to the south. Te Tai Rāwhiti, we must come to the east. Let the four winds speak as we find our kotahitanga. Ngā hau e whā, kia kōtahi rā.
After we hear from the four winds, I call us together again. We can confirm our plans and then we can go. We need to get to some solutions. We need a way forward that brings kōtahitanga to all.
I thank our tauiwi friends who are here today. Your support is important. We are all in this together. History means that’s a fact now. So the way forward needs to bring peace and unity for everybody.
Our solutions need to make changes for our people. Jobs. Housing. Kai. Education. These issues are bigger than politics.
It won’t be easy. We haven’t fixed it yet, there’s more mahi to do.
We have a framework from today’s hui that can guide our thoughts. We just need to stay together and be strong.
Remember, today is just day one. Hold on to the hope. Believe in you, believe in us. I offer the korowai of the Kiingitanga to the nation as we find a pathway forward.
Kotahitanga is the kaupapa, mana motuhake is our guide. Pai mārire kia koutou katoa.
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