The Hutt City Council, Te Kaunihera o Te Awa Kairangi, is one of the first local body to pass a motion to oppose the Principles of the Treaty of Waitangi Bill.
It was passed unanimously by council members in Lower Hutt today and other local bodies across Aotearoa are being urged to do the same.
The motion, put by councillor Keri Brown, recommended the council oppose the bill; affirm that Te Tiriti o Waitangi underpins the core work of local government; and reaffirm the council’s commitment to its partnership with mana whenua through Tākai Here, a partnership agreement signed between mana whenua and Wellington City Council.
“There is a strong feeling in our community that this is a core part of who we are and a core part of who we are proud of being in Aotearoa and any change to the principles is a change to Te Tiriti which undermines the infrastructure of who we are,” Brown says.
Hutt City Council works in partnership with mana whenua from iwi Te Atiawa and Ngāti Toa Rangatira, Brown says.
“We work with them on all policy and activities, and we are guided by mana whenua first when we are making policy decisions, so it’s important our tenet to Te Tiriti stays in the same form that it is.”
Councillor Gabriel Tupou says the motion is extremely important because neither the local iwi authority, Hutt City Council, nor local government were consulted over the bill.
“A lot of people in our community participated in the hīkoi the other week and a lot of people who are coming to us as councillors saying, ‘Hey this is not good. It’s a divisive Bill.’ It’s divisive in our communities. The rhetoric, the racism that we’re experiencing as Māori councillors is unnecessary,” Tupou says.
“We’re hoping to send a clear message to central government and Wellington that Te Awa Kairangi will continue to uphold Te Tiriti principles under our Tākai Here with the relationships we fostered with the iwi over many years.”
More local bodies urged to follow
The council is hoping more local bodies follow suit. Brown says Porirua City Council has already put through a notice of motion declaring its opposition.
“Today is a reminder to everybody that this is not just something that’s happening at Parliament. This affects us all in our work, in our communities and in our whānau. So I’m encouraging other groups, be it public groups, or in their own groups or whānau structures and community to get together and either make a declaration or put in a submission.”
Submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill will stay open until January 7.
