Te tāhuhu kōrero o tūkinoIt is not possible to say you stand for justice if you don't acknowledge the injustices this country has been built upon.
The British Crown took possession of Aoteaora by virtue of a treaty, which under international law was the only means available to it at the time as all-out war with Māori was unaffordable and the Dutch had already laid claim of discovery. The subsequent ruling of Chief Justice Prendergast that the Treaty of Waitangi was "worthless" and a "simple nullity" in the 1877 |
1877 case of Wi Parata v The Bishop of Wellington was not the start of the pāmamae for Māori, but it certainly accelerated it greatly.
Justice Prendergast's reason for denying a land claim - that "the Treaty of Waitangi was ‘worthless’ because it had been signed ‘between a civilised nation and a group of savages’ who were not capable of signing a treaty" - was incredibly insulting and prejudicial, and left Māori disempowered for almost 100 years. 1877 |
Justice: our missionA measure of our success in promoting justice will be that we have frequent and open discussion about te Tiriti o Waitangi and the injustice served to Māori by the Crown , and seek to find whatever ways we can to help address that injustice.
Our immediate goals
Our longer-term goals
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MatarikiFrom Matariki -Star of the Year
Written by Dr Rangi Mātāmua Matariki became a public holiday in Aotearoa NZ in 2022. The pictures here show the Matariki cluster both in actual form and also from a Te Ao Māori perspective created by Dr. Rangi Mātāmua. Waipuna-ā-rangi watches the skies, rains, snows, sleets which nourishes the earth and contributes to the water cycles. Ururangi is the winds of N,E,S,W. Tupu-ā-rangi represents cultivation from above: forests, birds, trees. Tupu-ā-nuku represents cultivation from the earth: kawakawa, kumara, healthy soil etc. Waitī watches over the fresh water environments and everything living in it. Creaks, rivers, lakes, springs which then flow into Waitā. Waitā represents the salt waters. Seas, oceans and everything living in it. Hiwa-i-te-rangi is known as the wishing star. Where you cast all your dreams and hopes for the new year. Pohutakawa is the star of remembering our passed ancestors. Our family and friends who have died. Matariki is the mother of the cluster and encourages gathering of all people. |
As you can see, each environmental star has a male/female adjacent. Giving a masculine and feminine balance, without one, there is no other.
They're also strategically placed, Waitī (freshwater) flows down from the mountains into Waitā (Saltwater) which is why the freshwater star is above the saltwater. Waipuna-a-rangi (rain) falls from the sky but can be manipulated by Ururangi (winds). Same can be said about Tupu-ā-rangi being above Tupu-ā-nuku. Matariki symbolises Māori new year under the Māramataka - Lunar Calendar, which is more accurate than the Gregorian Calendar. The word Matariki comes from Ngā Mata o te Ariki, Tāwhirimātea (The eyes of the chief, Tāwhirimātea). Tāwhirimātea (the atua of the wind) was so upset that his parents (Ranginui and Papatuānuku) were separated by Tāne Mahuta (Atua of the forest) that he tore out his eyes and threw them into the sky, creating Matariki. Matariki was also used by early Polynesian navigators to make their way across Moana-Nui-A-Kiwa (Pacific Ocean). How to celebrate Matariki Gather your friends and whānau. Eat together. Remember those you have lost that passed year. Talk about your dreams and aspirations for the future. Get your land ready for the coming year. Go and see the cluster - best seen at sunrise. Note: Some narratives will differ slightly depending on the area of tribe. |