Modern Aotearoa Still Locked In Colonial Shackles

In one of his final acts of service to Aotearoa, the late Dr Taa Toby Curtis issued a powerful reminder that the work to build an equitable society in Aotearoa New Zealand must continue.

“It is, from my perspective, the colonial shackles of governance that need to make way for the indigenous contribution to our way of life in Aotearoa.”

Completed in his final weeks, Taa Toby’s memoir: Toby Curtis — Unfinished Business: Ki Hea Āpōpō was launched with whānau, friends and close colleagues in Rotorua tonight.

An honest, first hand exploration of Taa Toby’s decades of service to the country, he minced no words about colonisation and the ways the state continues to fail Māori.

“With colonisation came an erosion of land, identity and resources. Once all those things have been removed from you, it is difficult to operate from a base of confidence or empowerment.

“One of the key issues that has acted as a barrier for Māori development has been that our entire state and system of government has been established on a Western philosophy. The Pākehā colonisers in Aotearoa had an automatic fallback position to the English language and other European philosophies.

“In my opinion, several generations later, the cultural beliefs of many are still inherently British. This view does not fit with our Māori world view, and we have spent countless hours justifying, explaining and proving that how we see the world is valid, meaningful, and works for us.”

Despite feeling his life’s work to be unfinished, Taa Toby remained hopeful for an equitable, inclusive Aotearoa.

“More recently, I have felt proud of what seems to be a more accepting attitude by many tauiwi to te ao Māori. I have already mentioned the pride and pleasure I feel in hearing newsreaders pronounce Māori place names or terms correctly, or when Pākehā support changes that benefit Māori.

“I feel there is much more work to be done and not enough time to do it, but I am very impressed by the proud and competent young Māori people who are coming through.”

Toby Curtis — Unfinished Business: Ki Hea Āpōpō (Oratia Books) is available from good bookstores or from www.oratia.co.nz.

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