Ikaroa Rāwhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel says the Government’s anti-Māori agenda could tarnish New Zealand’s reputation as world leaders in indigenous development.
She says Maori culture was celebrated at the Olympics when the Black Ferns Sevens won gold for New Zealand in Paris – but back home the coalition was moving to silence the voices of Maori in local government.
“Thety actually look to us as leaders in Indigenous matters but they look to us as leaders in partnership with non-Maori and now when they look, what are they going to see? A Government that’s still trying to oppress the Indigenous but also what they will see is tangata whenua who aren’t going to take it,” Ms Tangaere Manuel says.
Today also marks 37 years since the Fourth Labour Government passed the Māori Language Act, making te reo Māori an official language.
