They are about a people still searching for the sovereignty guaranteed them 150 years ago. We ask then that you look boldly to a new process of consultation on the meaning and application of tino rangatiratanga and kawanatanga as encompassed in Te Tiriti. Your patience is being stretched to breaking point. Please remember that as well as legislative and policy changes being required by the demands of justice, attitudinal change is also required among many New Zealanders. Know that there is great goodwill for the resolution of past wrongs, but that growth in understanding is still required.
Authority is exercised legitimately only when it seeks the common good of the group concerned.
Just as in 1840 at the signing of the Treaty, it is the good of all your people that must be foremost in your minds and at the heart of your efforts. In many parts of the world, indigenous peoples face the loss of land, of language, of culture and identity. In the Treaty of Waitangi, we find the moral basis for our presence in Aotearoa New Zealand and a vision that sets this country apart. We hold in our hands a great treasure - the opportunity to create a society that truly honours the rights of its indigenous people. We have an opportunity to heal wounds that have been present for too long.