So for anyone who doesnāt keep up with nz politics, which iām assuming is most of you, our new radical right government have decided one of their main aims of their term will be to re-interpret the Treaty of Waitangi.
The Treaty is an agreement between Maori and the Crown, now the NZ government. It is the founding document of new zealand and is recognised as a constitutional document today; it is the only treaty of its kind/time still honoured, and it is the steps weāve taken through the Treaty to provide restitution and build an ongoing relationship with Maori and their iwi (tribes) that has allowed the relationship between Maori and the government to thrive where other indigenous groups have struggled to achieve recognition of their rights.
This is going to be entirely undone. Not only is this issue inflammatory and a threat to race relations in Aotearoa, leaked documents show the proposed āreinterpretationā wants to negate pretty much the entirety of the legal rights provided to Maori under the treaty. For example, the treaty article that guarantees land rights for Maori will be reinterpreted to guarantee land rights for āall New Zealandersā. Which means this article would be essentially meaningless for Maori.
By removing Maori from the context they are trying to put Maori on an āequal footingā with all New Zealanders; they are riding the idea that Maori have special rights and privileges above that of the average New Zealander. Obviously this is bullshit but itās effective rhetoric and thereās a grain of truth to in that the extent of Maori rights hadnāt been clearly defined due to the ongoing nature of the process. So this has got a lot of people with a poor grasp of the issues very upset and baying for change.
There is a hui (meeting) being held today for all the iwi to begin discussions of how Maori will respond to this. New Zealand politics isnāt very interesting usually, but our progress on indigenous rights, until now, has been absolutely ahead of the field. If you care about indigenous rights globally, you should care about this, because in the same way Australiaās referendum loss has spurred on this action, the loss of rights here will spur other right wing governments to be similarly bold to their own indigenous groups.
Indigenous rights in New Zealand are under attack. They are meeting today to discuss it, and New Zealand will be listening, but I want the world to be listening. Because our government needs the shame of being called out by more than just the people who theyāve already decided donāt vote for them.
Maori have a long and proud history of fighting for their rights, and theyāll do it again here. And Iāll be on the pickets beside them, but thereāll be plenty of my own pickets to attend, because this government is radical in every sense of the word.
So please, even if youāre very far away, stand behind them in this. Keep your eyes on us. Amplify their voices. Donāt let the racism drown them out.
tangentwithtanner
baratheonpilled
kianamaiart
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