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Mana Motuhake:

We affirm the reo Māori texts of He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni 1835 and Te Tiriti o Waitangi 1840 as the founding constitutional documents of our country.

We recognise the reo Māori text of Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed by rangatira and guarantees the ongoing exercise of tino rangatiratanga. Rangatira did not sign Te Tiriti o Waitangi to co-govern taonga over which they already had authority, but we acknowledge that co-governance can enable progress towards a mature Tiriti-based relationship.

The Waitangi Tribunal must be fully resourced and have binding decision-making authority to ensure Tiriti breaches are addressed. 

Tikanga:

We affirm that Māori values and cultural practices expressed through tikanga and kawa were the first laws in Aotearoa, continue to guide Maōri today, and have been recognised by the courts as forming part of our country’s laws.

To uphold the integrity of these values, we will provide context and interpretation whenever we use concepts such as wairuatanga, whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga, kotahitanga and manaakitanga in our work.