Episode 13 - Beyond the Lines: Exploring Boundaries and the Treaty of Waitangi

In this week’s episode, we welcome back Kel’s partner Bill where we discuss one of the greatest movements of our time - Toitū Te Tiriti (Honour the Treaty) which is a unified response to the coalition government's complete disregard for Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi).

 Toitū Te Tiriti is tupuna inspired, tiriti led, mana motuhake driven and mokopuna focused and the intent is to demonstrate the beginning of a unified Aotearoa response to the Government’s assault on tangata whenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

We talk about the Treaty Principles Bill, and what this bill proposes is incredibly destructive to Te Tiriti, tramples on Māori rights and undermines our human rights landscape. The Treaty Principles Bill seeks to redefine the Treaty principles, however the proposed principles in the Bill do not reflect what was promised in Te Tiriti. They undermine Māori rights and are contrary to our international human rights obligations. Furthermore, in massive bad faith and a breach of Te Tiriti, the Government has developed this bill unilaterally, without any meaningful engagement with Māori.

Te Tiriti is foundational – it provides a place for us all to belong, for respectful relationships and a foundation for how we can make decisions together. It is atrocious that we are seeing this policy attacking Te Tiriti when we should be seeing Government strengthening it. Honouring and upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi is foundational to upholding human rights in Aotearoa.