Te Tiriti Realised: A Future Where We All Thrive

Te Tiriti Realised: A Future Where We All Thrive

Written by Aimee Matiu | Ngāti Here, Ngāi Tūpoto ki Motukaraka, Ngāti Moroki, Te Rarawa ki Hokianga, Ngāpuhi

What would Aotearoa New Zealand look like if Te Tiriti was truly realised? It’s a question we don’t often get the space to ponder, to dream about. The conversation has often been framed around fear, portraying Te Tiriti as a threat of taking away from some to give to others. But what if we dared to imagine a different future?

Aimee Matiu, PDP

Professor Mānuka Hēnare eloquently captures the heart of Te Tiriti: “Māori had clear expectations… that the mana of the rangatira and their hapū would be preserved, maintained, and enhanced by the relationship with the British.¹” Rangatira did not seek merely to protect their existing mana me te rangatiratanga; they envisioned a relationship that would enable tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti to build a shared future. This year marks 50 years since Dame Whina Cooper led the historic 1975 Not One More Acre land march, yet the kaupapa endures. The voices of our rangatira still ring clear—tangata whenua are still marching, still waiting for meaningful conversations about our aspirations as a nation and for a future built together, as equals. Te Tiriti provides the framework for a truly just and equitable Aotearoa, where those commitments are honored and our shared future is shaped in partnership.

While our visions may differ, the underlying goal remains the same—a just, equitable, and inclusive Aotearoa where all voices are heard and valued. We all want a future where our relationships—with each other and with the whenua—are built on respect, care, and reciprocity. We all want clean waters that sustain life, ngahere (forest) that are teeming with life, and land that is nurtured rather than exploited. We want a balance where economic growth does not come at the cost of environmental degradation, so we can leave the future generations a better healthier world.

Imagine a nation where the mauri of te ao tūroa, the natural world, is the priority. Where the health of our environment is valued above economic progress and monetary gain. A place where te reo Māori me ōna tikanga, flourishes, creating a truly bilingual nation. In this transformed Aotearoa, this piece could be written entirely in te reo Māori without the need for translations or glossaries, because we would all speak te reo as fluently as English.

Envision a future where decisions are made collaboratively, where the intelligence of mātauranga Māori works with Western science, and engineering to generate innovative solutions for the benefit of all. A future where the unique knowledge systems of each rohe (region) are recognised as distinct yet equally valuable as Western ways of knowing, offering a broader range of solutions to shared problems. In this future, the opportunities are limitless as we harness the power of multiple perspectives to address the challenges of today and tomorrow.

The fear surrounding Te Tiriti often stems from a lack of knowing and misunderstanding. Come, spend time with tangata whenua in te ao Māori. Walk the whenua, hear the kōrero, the stories, learn about the complex knowledge systems etched into the land. Be inspired by the resourcefulness of our people, achieving remarkable things with limited resources. Share in our laughter, a testament to our resilience. In doing so, perhaps we will begin to dare to dream of the possibilities that await us when we truly ground our nation in Te Tiriti, forging a future built on partnership and shared purpose.

¹(Ngāpuhi speaks : He Wakaputanga o te rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni and Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Independent report, Ngapuhi Nui Tonu claim, 2012)