We Will Not Be Silent.
A Pledge From Tangata Tiriti Christians
We, as followers of Jesus, and as people of the Treaty, affirm Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the sacred promise of right relationship between tangata whenua and tangata tiriti. We believe Te Tiriti to be a covenant between peoples, a living taonga that gives us a place in this land.
We affirm that Te Tiriti guarantees the mana motuhake of hapū and iwi. That tangata whenua never ceded sovereignty. That rangatiratanga over land and taonga is to be upheld.
As Christians, we believe God takes covenants seriously and that we are likewise called to honour our promises. We lament the ways in which our own Churches have been complicit in breaching Te Tiriti and dispossessing tangata whenua of their land. We strive to do better today.
And so we stand now with tangata whenua to uphold Te Tiriti.
We believe that when Te Tiriti is honoured, all peoples living in Aotearoa can flourish together—tangata whenua, tangata moana and tangata tiriti.
We express deep sorrow towards the Act Party’s proposed Treaty Principles Bill, and name it as a divisive attempt to rewrite and redefine the text of Te Tiriti. Treaties cannot be rewritten by one party, without the agreement of the other. Further, we are dismayed at the plans in the coalition agreements:
To replace or remove references to Te Tiriti in existing legislation such as the Education Act and the Oranga Tamariki Act
To diminish the role of te reo Māori in the public sector
To abolish Te Aka Whai Ora, the Māori Health Authority
To halt the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
To limit the jurisdiction of the Waitangi Tribunal
To reinstate referendums for Māori wards in local government
To repeal Smokefree New Zealand legislation
These, and other proposed measures, would be huge steps backwards for our country. For tangata whenua, they would result in serious breaches of rights under Te Tiriti, poorer health outcomes, decreased representation in local government, and limited access to justice. Further, the coalition’s plans to limit and redefine Te Tiriti are unjust and an abuse of power.
We therefore pledge to not be silent at this moment. To organise. To amplify the voices of tangata whenua. To protect Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the progress made over the last fifty years.
The Church was present at the signing of Te Tiriti alongside rangatira and the Crown. We hear the movement of the Holy Spirit today in the calls to confront our history, transform unjust structures, and honour Te Tiriti.
We therefore call on you, as Members of the 54th Parliament, to do everything in your power to uphold Te Tiriti and oppose any attempts to rewrite or replace it, as we follow the leadership of tangata whenua for the next steps of this journey.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our liberator, reconciler and redeemer,
Signed by 354 individuals (updated 20 May)