Manuel Beazley explains our relationship to the Treaty of Waitangi and encourages us in our rights and responsibilities as people of this land, Aotearoa New Zealand.

Biculturalism is an important component in the studies to qualify for most professions in New Zealand. But it strikes me that very few graduates seem clear on what biculturalism actually means. For me, being bicultural means a relationship between two peoples. This relationship is based on a shared history and a commitment to a perpetual renewal of this relationship through successive generations.

The Treaty of Waitangi — Māori and Crown

In Aotearoa New Zealand, our bicultural relationship has at its heart Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Te Tiriti brought together two entities. But the two entities party to the Treaty are not Māori and Pākehā — they are Māori and the Crown, in the person of Queen Victoria as represented by Governor William Hobson. This distinction is important. It means that our bicultural relationship is not founded on race or ethnicity but on shared ideals about who we are and who we are to become.

In practical terms, as a Treaty partner the Crown represents all people who through the Crown have made Aotearoa New Zealand their home. I think of these people as tangata Tiriti – people of the Treaty. If we think of te Tiriti in this way, our bicultural relationship cannot be about Māori and Pākehā, it must be about Māori and “me”.

Relating to Te Tiriti

If tangata Tiriti see themselves as people of the Treaty they will ask such questions as: “What’s my relationship with Māori?” “How much te Reo Māori can I speak?” “How much tikanga Māori do I know?” “Do I know the Māori history of where I live?” “Who is the local hapū or iwi?” “Where is the local marae?”

And, as tangata Tiriti, Māori will also have questions we must ask ourselves about our commitment to the bicultural relationship. “What is my relationship to people of other ethnicities?” “What do I know about their tikanga?” “How do I work with government agencies to provide successful outcomes for my whānau, hapū, iwi?”

But the million dollar question for all of us is: “Do I want to; am I committed?”

Tangata Whenua — People of This Land

Another aspect to our biculturalism is our sense of belonging. The saying goes: “if you’re not where you are, you’re nowhere.” If we are to be truly bicultural in this land, we must acknowledge that all people as tangata Tiriti are in fact also, tangata whenua.

To be tangata whenua is to be a person or people of the land. The food we eat and the water we drink are from the land — provided for us from THIS land Aotearoa New Zealand. We live in THIS land as tangata whenua. It is THIS land that holds us as tangata whenua. Because we are here now, we can be nowhere else. We are tangata whenua where we are right here.

Mana Whenua — Spiritual Relationship to the Land

There is a distinction between being tangata whenua and being mana whenua. Being tangata whenua describes our physical connection to the land. Mana whenua describes our spiritual connection to the land.

Mana whenuatanga describes a special relationship to the land based on whakapapa and kaitiakitanga. For Māori, the land is an ancestor of humankind, the earth is mother. Whānau, hapū and iwi have stewardship of their ancestral lands which places certain rights and responsibilities on them.

While tangata whenuatanga can be claimed by all who live on and off the land, mana whenuatanga is reserved for those who claim whakapapa and kaitiakitanga.

This example may clarify the relationship: I am a Māori living in Otara, South Auckland and I can claim tangata whenuatanga but I cannot claim mana whenuatanga here in this part of Auckland. That honour is reserved to hapū and iwi such as Te Aki Tai, Tainui and others.

My ancestry comes from the Hokianga in the north of the North Island. There, I can rightfully claim to be mana whenua, because of my whānau whakapapa and kaitiakitanga in that area.

Our bicultural relationship stands on the foundation that we each have rights and responsibilities to each other and that this land is our common home. This is what te Tiriti O Waitangi tried to achieve for all of us. The fulfillment of te Tiriti cannot be left solely in the hands of politicians, or to the legislative processes of our local and national government. The fulfillment of te Tiriti lies with our desire to be tangata Tiriti and tangata whenua.

GLOSSARY

Te Tiriti o Waitangi or te Tiriti — The Treaty of Waitangi
Māori — indigenous persons of Aotearoa New Zealand
Pākehā — New Zealanders of European descent
Tangata — People
Tangata Tiriti — People of the Treaty
Te reo Māori — Māori language
Tangata whenua — People of the land
Tikanga Māori — Māori customs and protocols eg, Powhiri ritual of welcome
Whānau — Extended family
Hapū — Subtribe (several whānau make up a hapū)
Iwi — Tribe (several hapū make up a tribe)
Whakapapa — Genealogy
Mana whenua — Spiritual connection and relationship of Maori to the land because of genealogy and guardianship
Mana whenuatanga — Special spiritual relationship of Māori to ancestral land which brings rights and responsibilities
Kaitiakitanga — Wholistic and respectful stewardship and guardianship of land including landscape, vegetation, water, birds, animals, reptiles and insects, resources, atmosphere.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 240 August 2019: 4-5