Te Tiriti and Māori Partnerships
Te Tiriti o Waitangi – partnership
In line with the spirit of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the underlying guiding principle adopted by the Department (DIA) for the development and delivery of the He Tohu exhibition in 2017 was ‘partnership’. The Department took some bold steps into a largely unknown and untested space to do their best to ensure that partnership with iwi Māori was considered and invested in.
Together, we are a nation
At Waitangi on 6 February 1840, just before each rangatira applied their tohu to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, Captain William Hobson said the words, “He iwi tahi tātou”. Since 1840, the common interpretation of these words has been “We are one people”. This year, at the 180th anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, in Waitangi, a correction to this interpretation was made and was offered to the Prime Minister Hon. Jacinda Ardern and her parliamentary colleagues by a prominent and respected Ngāti Hine elder, Te Waihoroi Shortland. The new and accurate interpretation is, “Together, we are a nation”.
The difference between the two interpretations may seem miniscule to some, but in fact, the new interpretation changes the way we should have developed and designed Aotearoa New Zealand under Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and that was ‘together’. The new interpretation of Hobson’s words, provide a fresh invitation to the Crown to work together with iwi Maori to design and develop our shared nation under Te Tiriti o Waitangi going forward.
Tāhuhu – an opportunity for the Treaty relationship to be enacted
Tāhuhu provides a further opportunity for the Treaty relationship to be enacted, put to the test and celebrated.
Over the next seven years, through Tāhuhu, there will be a number of significant opportunities for Archives New Zealand and the National Library to work together with iwi Māori on the development, design and delivery of a new documentary heritage hub.
This will include more culturally relevant and effective systems and processes to support users who wish to engage with taonga within a matauranga Māori framework. The Tāhuhu team, look forward to working together with iwi Māori on this important and exciting programme of work, which will transform the way, we as a nation, collect, preserve and make available our nation's collective memories.