February 04, 2020
Little reo goes a long way
Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Andrew Little has brought a new sense of optimism to the Ngāpuhi settlement process by delivering his speech at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds in the reo Māori.
Mr Little emphasised how much he had learned in his two years in the job, to the delight of the audience.
Jacinda Arden said when she asked Māori to hold the Government to account, it was not just for what it did but the way it did it.
Mr Little’s speech was an example of how it was attempting to bridge the two worlds, with not just its Māori MPs and Ministers crossing the bridge every day but other MPs trying to do the same.
The hui also heard a speech of welcome from new Ngāpuhi Rūnanga chair Mere Mangu.
She was immediately slammed by Ngāti Hine kaumatua Waihoroi Shortland for speaking on the marae atea.
But Te Taitokerau MP Kelvin Davis said that like himself, Ms Mangu was a descendant of Hineamaru, and no one would have told that ancestress where to speak or what to say.
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