May 20, 2022
Teeth of gold a Budget threat
As Māori try to identify how and where the billion-dollar Māori budget will be spent, a leading elder is warning they shouldn’t lose sight of the push for mana motuhake.
Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua chair Dame Naida Glavish says Budgets still leave Māori in a servant-master relationship with the Crown, and she wants to see what comes out of new features like Te Arawhiti, the Office of Māori-Crown Relations, and the governance structure for the new Māori Health Authority.
She recalls the words of Ngāpuhi prophet Aperahama Taonui.
“‘There is a taniwha on its way with teeth of silver and gold and an insatiable diet for land,’ which has placed us in the situation we are today. He also said ‘fear not the teeth of silver and gold, just do not allow it to become your god,'” Dame Naida says.