Turia Tariana: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
Turia Tariana: Debate on Prime Minister’s Statement 
[Volume:623;Page:18181] 
TARIANA TURIA (Leader—Maori Party) 
: 
 A vision for a nation must be founded in its very origins. The Maori Party’s vision for this nation is based on the covenant by which its first people—the people of the land; the tangata whenua—negotiated with the Crown about a model for developing a unified nation. The Treaty of Waitangi was not a party political manifesto designed to capture votes nor was it a strategy to advise us how to respond to grievances nor was it the beginner’s guide to establishing a treaty industry. In this respect it is very disappointing that the three times that the word “treaty” appeared in the Prime Minister’s address referred exclusively to a focus on settlement policy. 
At its very core the treaty is about a relationship that has been entered into. Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu referred to this. She said: “In 1840 a pact was signed with good and true intent and that was the beginning of a nation called New Zealand. It is time for our founding document to be set free and for the Treaty of Waitangi to be a symbol of unity trust understanding and goodwill for all the peoples of Aotearoa.” In her focus on unity trust understanding and goodwill Te Arikinui reminds us of the pivotal role Te Tiriti o Waitangi has in helping New Zealand - Aotearoa to mature as a nation. 
Some members of this House would prefer to assign this document to the filing cabinet suggesting that the basis for nationhood in this land is merely a historical relic of no significance to our ongoing future. I have difficulty with this approach of relegating our founding document to the back room on the assumption that it is now outdated. I wonder whether those same members would suggest that a marriage certificate signed at a wedding ceremony has absolutely no relevance to the ongoing relationship of a couple. If we are really committed to promoting and nurturing the sacred relationships that we have in our homes and families we must demonstrate that same commitment to our key documents for nationhood. We must not forfeit the honour and integrity Te Tiriti o Waitangi was expected to provide by all its signatories. 
Moving forward as a nation requires us to honour the promises made by our ancestors and correct injustices of the past in order to lay the groundwork for an equitable future. Respect for our ancestors is entirely proper; our ancestors have made us what we are. The architects of the treaty knew that what they were proposing would set a precedent. This is part of our proud history as a sovereign nation and we must celebrate that. Te Tiriti o Waitangi challenged the British Empire to reaffirm and accommodate the existing rights of an indigenous culture amongst the onslaught of immigration. The writers knew that a framework of trust respect toleration and diversity had to be set down and adhered to if the peoples of that time were to survive and grow as one nation. 
The Maori Party’s position is that those principles and others still apply today and even more so in an ever increasingly diverse and complex country. The courts have referred to the treaty as an embryo rather than a fully developed and integrated set of ideas. I would encourage this House to see the treaty as a living document that provides the foundation for an ongoing relationship between Maori and the Crown—a relationship that must be capable of adaptation to new and changing circumstances as they arise. For the Maori Party that is a vision for a nation that will withstand the vagaries of time or the political opportunism that seems to come around at election time. 
What New Zealanders are wanting is less political rhetoric about the treaty as “a tool of division” less focus on closing the gaps between Maori and others and less emphasis on race relations as our No. 1 problem. What we want more of is a vision of promise for our future. The treaty encapsulates that vision and must be promoted positively if we are ever to move forward. Nationhood is meaningless if we have not matured in our attitudes to and decisions about the past present and future role that the treaty plays in our lives. We believe that we have the capacity to be a bicultural nation where it is possible to promote and validate the role of Maori as tangata whenua throughout New Zealand and also to promote harmonious relationships amongst all New Zealanders. 
I do not want us to forget that the deterioration of the treaty relationship has come about because Governments have behaved dishonourably. The legacy of land confiscation and the subsequent partition fragmentation and land alienation through the intervention of the Native Land Court must be addressed. The Waitangi Tribunal’s  
The Taranaki Report: Kaupapa Tuatahi 
 described such an impact clearly in its 1996 report: “Through war protest and petition the single thread that most illuminates the historical fabric of Maori and Pakeha contact has been the Maori determination to maintain Maori autonomy and the Government’s desire to destroy it. The irony is that the need for mutual recognition had been seen at the very foundation of the State when the Treaty of Waitangi was signed.” 
The New Zealand public should not be blamed for what the tribunal called “the Government’s desire to destroy” Maori autonomy. The relationship between tangata whenua and the Crown has deteriorated noticeably especially in response to the current Government’s proposals on the foreshore and seabed. The principles of partnership utmost good faith reasonableness reciprocity mutual benefit and active protection disintegrated. The Waitangi Tribunal’s  
Report on the Crown’s Foreshore and Seabed Policy 
 stated that the policy breaches the Treaty of Waitangi in “fundamental and serious” ways that give rise to “serious prejudice”. We shall not forget. 
In this Parliament we have a responsibility to compensate the losses and we should be committed to fairness justice and reconciliation. If we have the courage to recognise the past for what it was and perhaps plant a seed for the future we have the opportunity to change the very face of Aotearoa. In this Parliament we must promote harmonious relationships between people by encouraging a notion of respect for the Treaty of Waitangi and also other distinct ethnic groups that live in this country. This was the inspiration that was given to us by our ancestors—an inspiration for a vision for the nation. We are a young country and we can get this right. We can work it out together. We have been able to share common highlights in the past. We have done many great things together and we can do so again. These are the essential elements of a vision for the future. For too long politicians and media have drawn a picture that Maori and non-Maori are separate impermeable groups. Our struggle is not with each other. 
Exactly 10 years ago on 28 and 29 January 1995 Ngati Tuwharetoa paramount chief Sir Hepi te Heuheu initiated the Hirangi series of hui to resurrect the issue of constitutional significance of the Treaty of Waitangi. I believe it is fitting to return to the recommendations laid down at that first hui as a focus point for the next decade. Honouring the recommendations that were gifted to the nation from the Hirangi series of hui will require a careful dialogue between the parties to ensure the promises of article 2 are achieved. The interplay between kawanatanga and rangatiratanga is complex but meaningful dialogue will achieve the success anticipated so many years ago. It is a vision worth pursuing it is a vision we can attain and it is a vision for a nation. 
No reira ka nui te mihi ki a koutou tena koutou tena koutou tena tatou katoa.