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Wellington, April 15, 2021
New Zealand’s multicultural communities are leading the Hikoi to a Treaty-based Aotearoa this weekend (April 16 & 17, 2021).
Multicultural New Zealand (MNZ) is taking 50 community leaders from various parts of New Zealand on a journey from Auckland up to Waitangi to plant a tree on the Grounds as a gesture of commitment to te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Momentous Occasion
MNZ President Pancha Narayanan sees this as a momentous occasion.
“Never before in the history of Te Tiriti has something like this been done. We are only able to call this beautiful land home by the grace of tangata whenua and Te Tiriti. We want to show that we recognise that, and that we are ready to honour our side of the Agreement,” he said in a Statement.
Guided by Hau Kainga (local people) from Whangarei, including Northland Rangatira Taipari Munro, the group will also be stopping in Whangarei and Ruapekapeka to learn more of the history and meaning of te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Tangata Whenua First
Mr Narayanan emphasised that it is specifically the Reo Maori version of Te Tiriti that the multicultural communities will endorse.
He also acknowledged that this gesture does not come without a long history of whakawhanaungatanga (building relationships) with Tangata Whenua first.
“We do not see enough recent migrants with a relationship with Tangata Whenua, or an awareness of te Tiriti. This needs to change,” he said and asked, “How can we call New Zealand home if we have not been welcomed by the people of this land or we do not know its founding agreement?”
National Applause
The Kaupapa has received national applause from senior figures in both iwi and crown bodies and is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, the Ministry of Social Development, and the Office of Ethnic Communities.
The wider kaupapa is MNZ’s Huarahi Hou initiative.
MNZ has, with the help of the Northland Haukainga (local people) and Multicultural Whangarei, chosen a strong young Kauri tree to plant on the Waitangi Grounds.
The Tree has been named Mokopuna, and is dedicated to a united, Tiriti-based, multicultural future for Aotearoa.
The group will be formally welcomed onto the grounds by mana whenua to plant the Tree. “It will be a historic day; we can all feel the wairua building. We want all of our ancestors to see this,” Mr Narayanan said.
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