Representatives of more than 80 Maori tribes have filed an unprecedented petition to King Charles III asking King Charles III to intervene in New Zealand politics, as tensions over the government’s Maori policy escalate and relations between indigenous peoples and ruling authorities deteriorate. issued.
The National Iwichea Forum, a group of tribal leaders, has written an open letter to the King, asking him to “ensure that the (New Zealand) Government does not bring the Crown into disrepute” over ongoing violations against him. . The promise made to Maori in the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document.
Since coming to power last year, New Zealand’s right-wing coalition government’s policy direction toward Māori has led to the largest-ever protests over Māori rights, rallies of Māori leaders, and condemnation from the Waitangi Tribunal, the body that investigates violations of the Treaty of Waitangi. caused. The Treaty is an agreement signed in 1840 between more than 500 Maori chiefs and the British Crown that helps protect Maori rights.
The forum gave the Guardian access for the first time to a letter signed by more than 500 people, including tribal leaders and representatives of Māori organizations.
Aperahama Edwards, chairman of the Ngāti Wai tribe and one of the forum groups, told the Guardian that Māori were tired of not having their concerns heard.
“We’ve been pandering to the good sense and goodwill of governments for 184 years and it hasn’t paid off. So the idea here is to get King Charles’ attention (to these issues) and hope that he can intervene. be.”
The rationale behind many of the government’s proposals is to end ‘race-based’ policies, tackle crime and cut bureaucracy. The Coalition said it was committed to improving outcomes for Māori and all New Zealanders.
But critics say the controversial bill seeks to remove the use of Māori in public services, dismantle systems aimed at redressing health inequalities and fundamentally change the way treaties are interpreted. They are concerned that policies such as the introduction of the system are being undermined. Māori rights, fueling anti-Māori rhetoric and eroding the Māori-Monarchy relationship.
Māori make up 20% of New Zealand’s population and face disproportionate negative outcomes in health, home ownership, employment rates, education and prison numbers.
Forum chair Margaret Mutu, a professor at the University of Auckland, who helped write the letter, said she was concerned that the Coalition’s policies were a serious breach of the treaty. She wanted the King to remind the government of its treaty obligations.
The two-page letter acknowledges the relationship between the King and the late Māori King Tuheitia and looks forward to continuing that relationship under the new Māori queen, Ngā Wai Hono i Te Po. It begins with this.
The document refers to Queen Victoria’s negotiations with Maori chiefs to establish a treaty in 1840, and the breach of royal promises in the years since then. The relationship between Māori and the Crown had been developing steadily in recent years, but it is said that the situation has changed under the new government.
The letter claims the new coalition government has “promised to attack” treaties and Māori rights.
The letter calls for barriers to revitalizing the Māori language, policies that could further separate Māori children from their ancestry if placed in state custody, and the ability of the Waitangi Tribunal to function. In decline, land and sea are at risk from mining and other hazards.
The letter points to a speech the King gave at the 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, in which he called for “building a common future that benefits all our people” and “finding new ways to acknowledge the past.” ” They discussed the necessity and appealed to the king. for help.
“As a constitutional monarch and a descendant of Queen Victoria, we ask for your intervention to ensure that the Government does not bring the King into disrepute,” the newspaper said, adding that the signatories “are asking for your help in ensuring that the Government does not bring the King into disrepute. We are united in our grave concerns,” he added. Make it our whānau (family). ”
Mr Edwards said the obligation to uphold the treaty’s promises fell not only to the descendants of the chiefs who signed the treaty, but also to Queen Victoria’s descendant, Charles III.
“We believe that his concern and influence on the environment and social justice can play an important role in reminding governments of the importance of upholding the sacred agreements (of the treaty),” Edwards said. ” he said.
When asked to respond to the letter’s allegations, Tama Potaka, New Zealand’s Minister for Māori Crown Relations, told the Guardian: ”.
Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment.
Mr Edwards said the forum had not yet received a response from the Palace, but hoped the King would read the letter and offer some support, as Māori well-being and treaty relations were at stake. He said that
“We are about to look at the saddest times we have experienced in this country…We will not be content to sit on the sidelines.”
