MEDIA STATEMENT

Māori Party

29 July 2019

Ihumatao: Māori Party calls for Tikanga Commissioner and Office

Maori Party calls for an independent Tikanga Commissioner and Office. This independent tool would be funded by the Crown to be the watch-dog of Crown engagement and help hapū and iwi to navigate issues that have been established as a result of Crown intervention.

Party President, Che Wilson, says, “Too many times, the Crown establishes solutions which create more problems, and we get told that it’s an internal issue and the Crown that it’s their intervention that caused the issues, it’s as if they ‘spray and walk away’.”

The racist agenda of Treasury means that Māori are always given the crumbs where as South Canterbury Finance, leaky homes and too many other examples are treated differently creating poverty, disadvantage and all the worst statistics of our nation.

The Office would be able to critique the processes of government, like an ombudsman and facilitate tikanga processes to help restore balance between hapū and iwi.

Wilson states: “Ihumātao is like the Hauraki-Tauranga issue, it’s like the north and many other issues we are challenged with as a result of governments attempts to silence us with cheap deals negotiated through rubbish systems.”

The fact that the Prime Minister didn’t prioritise a visit to Ihumātao before her overseas trip means that her commitment was all about deflating the balloon and trying to continue to divide and conquer. “All mana whenua must have a say and time shouldn’t be the inhibitor because our people will sniff a fake from a mile away.” says Wilson.

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