The Green Party will uphold tino rangatiratanga, enhance the mana of the Waitangi Tribunal, return land lost through colonisation, and support the customary roles of tangata whenua. We will address the systemic causes of inequalities for Māori, including in education, health, resource management, and justice. 

Vision

Māori live freely and with mana, as do all New Zealanders under Te Tiriti o Waitangi and within te ao Māori.

Values and Principles

Decisions relating to Māori must uphold the following values and principles:

  • Honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi: The status of Māori as tangata whenua should be respected and tino rangatiratanga upheld.
  • Ecological Wisdom: The value of te ao Māori to people and other species in Aotearoa, the kaitiaki responsibilities of hapū and iwi, and the ecological wisdom in mātauranga Māori should be upheld.
  • Social Responsibility: An equitable, tikanga Māori-based approach should uphold the mana, rights, mana motuhake and wellbeing of Māori. Māori systems of social support should be nurtured, and Government systems of social support should recognise the needs of Māori communities.
  • Appropriate Decision-Making: Whānau, hapū, and iwi, and other Māori organisations, should be properly resourced and enabled to support the needs of Māori communities. The tino rangatiratanga of tangata whenua should be upheld.
  • Non-Violence: The harm of colonisation should be recognised and addressed, with all taonga and mokopuna (future generations) protected.Summary

Strategic Priorities

The Green Party’s strategic goals include: 

“As a Party we want to see Te Ao Māori and Te Reo Māori flourish in Aotearoa.

“Māori will be empowered and resourced within a kaupapa Māori framework to support restorative and rehabilitative justice and provide for the well-being of whānau, the environment and our natural ecosystems.”

Actions in this policy that will help achieve these goals include:

  • Ensure that all people in Aotearoa New Zealand have the opportunity to learn te reo Māori and understand our country’s history, both tangata whenua and tauiwi, with a particular focus on education at all year levels of our schools. (2.3)
  • Recognise tikanga-based justice and resource Māori restorative justice models, especially through Rangatahi and Matariki Courts. (2.15)
  • Implement a Tiriti-based economic strategy that eliminates the dependence of economic systems on growth and ensures economic activity is resilient and occurs far beneath established ecological limits. (2.1)
  • Uphold and resource the kaitiaki role and tino rangatiratanga of tangata whenua in urban and rural areas, and work with them to protect taonga species, landscapes, seas and significant places, that enables progress towards a more Te Tiriti based relationship, and formally recognising and enabling customary use and care of natural resources. (1.12)

Connected Policies

All Green Party Policies seek to uphold the rights of Māori as tangata whenua under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Policies that are fundamental to honouring tino rangatiratanga include our Democracy and Constitutional Transformation and Human Rights Policies. Several policies also focus on Māori wellbeing and equity, including Economic, Education, Health, and Justice.

DOWNLOAD FULL POLICY

Latest Te Tiriti O Waitangi Announcements

Story

UNDRIP – Let’s get on with it

The Green Party welcomes the next steps towards implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in Aotearo...
Read More

Story

Statement for Moana Jackson

E te whatukura e wehe atu nei, ko tērā o ngā ngākau māhaki o tātou, ko koe tērā e Moana.
Read More

Story

Return private land to Māori, say Greens

The Green Party’s Te Mātāwaka caucus has released Hoki Whenua Mai - a discussion document outlining what the Crown should do to redress the on-goin...
Read More

Democracy, human rights, and te Tiriti of Waitangi

Aotearoa can have a flourishing democracy with te Tiriti o Waitangi as its foundation. We can be proud of our democracy compared to many other coun...
Read More

Policy

Te Tiriti o Waitangi Policy

In 2001, the Charter of the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand was amended to recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi as our country’s founding document, a...
See More

Story

Māori women in business contribute to our economy, whānau and communities

Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter has released a new report celebrating the contribution of Māori women in business across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Read More

Latest Māori Development Announcements

Story

Public Works Act overhaul fails to protect Māori land

The Government’s so-called overhaul of the Public Works Act will fail to prevent further injustices around the confiscation of Māori land.
Read More

Story

Govt already seeking advice on Treaty referendum

On one hand, the Prime Minister has assured Aotearoa that his party will not support the Treaty Principles Bill beyond first reading, but on the ot...
Read More

Story

Greens call on Treaty Principles Bill to be abandoned after letter from Christian leaders

The Green Party is once again urging the Prime Minister to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill as a letter from more than 400 Christian leaders call...
Read More

Story

Vast majority of councils support Māori wards

Councils across the country have now decided where they stand regarding Māori wards, with a resounding majority in favour of keeping them in what i...
Read More

Story

Govt shirks its responsibility to Whakaata Māori

The Green Party has called out the Government for allowing Whakaata Māori to effectively collapse to a shell of its former self as job cuts and pro...
Read More

Story

Greens call on Luxon to abandon Treaty Principles Bill following Waitangi Tribunal report

The Green Party is calling on Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to abandon the Treaty Principles Bill following the Waitangi Tribunal’s scathing rep...
Read More