He Pukenga Korero, Vol 8, No 2 (2007)

Font Size:  Small  Medium  Large

Tino Rangatiratanga: Water under the Bridge

Maria Bargh

Abstract


He whakarapopoto
I roto i tēnei tuhinga whakatau, e kī ana au, ahakoa anō
e whakapae ana te kāwanatanga kua waimeha noa te
tino rangatiratanga, kei te kaha, māia tonu te Māori ki te
whakatinana i ngā wawata o te tino rangatiratanga. Ka
tātaritia kia rua ngā tauira, te āhua ki te whaitua whenua
mō te wai, me ngā hononga o tāwahi ngā i waenga i Māori me ngā tāngata whenua.
E whakapae ana au kua roa noa atu te iwi Māori e
whakahau ana i te tino rangatiratanga, me te tūhono me
ētahi atu iwi taketake, hei whakaatu mēnā kai te taha tika tonu ngā whakahaere ture o Aotearoa, inā hoki e kitea ana kāre i te hāngai tika ki te taha tōrangapū. Ka pātai tātau: E whai kaha ana te iwi Māori ki te whakapakari i tana tino rangatiratanga, ā, kei te hāngai anō te taha ture, ā, kai te whakapōreareatia rānei e ngā taha ture tikanga o Aotearoa te Māori? Ko taku e kī ana kāre i te arotia te pūmautanga o te tino rangatiratanga i te whai mana i raro i ngā tikanga here ture, ā, hei whakaatu i tēnei āhuatanga anei ēnei tauira, te whāinga whakapae mō te āhua o te wai, ā, te taha Taha Whataunga Ture mō ngā tika o ngā Tangata Whenua.

Abstract
In this article I argue that while successive New Zealand
governments tend to suggest that tino rangatiratanga is
water under the bridge, Māori are actively engaged in
practising tino rangatiratanga. I examine two examples
in particular: domestically, the issues around water, and
internationally, Māori links directly with other indigenous
nations.
I argue that foregrounding the ways in which iwi
Māori already practice tino rangatiratanga and engage
directly with other sovereign entities, could assist us to
consider whether New Zealand's current constitutional
arrangements are adequate given their failure to reflect
these political realities. We might ask, if Māori are
already dynamically engaged in tino rangatiratanga do
these constitutional arrangements reflect this or are Māori being hindered by New Zealand's current constitutional arrangements? I argue that Māori tino rangatiratanga is being hindered by inadequate constitutional arrangements and to illustrate this I will refer again to the examples, domestically the issue of water, and internationally, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Full Text: PDF

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.