In the 1830s, British citizens began to flock to New Zealand, which led to many conflicts over land and sovereignty rights. In order to create peace between the natives of New Zealand and British colonists, the British Crown and Māori rangatira (chiefs) came together and signed the Treaty of Waitangi on February 6, 1840. This led to Māori people having rights of land and British citizenship as long as the British Crown could claim sovereignty over New Zealand.
Since then, February 6 has been declared a national holiday in New Zealand. Over the course of four days, New Zealanders flock to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds for a multitude of festivities: food, face painting, kapa haka performances, movie nights, relays, and more! At the same time, Māori leaders meet to continue political discussions. It is a time to come together and revisit the relationship between the British Crown and the Māori people.
Unfortunately, this year, these peace talks were full of turmoil and anxiety for the future due to a bill proposed by the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers (ACT) party headed by David Seymour. This new bill was meant to reinterpret the Waitangi Treaty by removing privileges Māori people had been receiving to protect their customs. Ultimately, this led to the largest protest in New Zealand’s history, with more than forty thousand attendees. Māoris from all over feared for the loss of their rights and land.
Because of this proposed bill, there are new conversations about race and equality in New Zealand. What does it mean to be equal? Is equality determined by race? David Seymour suggests that recognizing race in the past was “called profiling and discrimination” and now is considered “a virtue.”
At its core, race is defined as people who are divided based on physical traits, showing they have a common shared ancestry. Because of this tie to ancestry, race comes with different cultures and ethnicities. Each of these elements make up an identity.
Everyone has an identity that manifests in different forms. This can be through the kind of dances you perform, the food you eat, or the language or slang you use. These identifiers create a sense of belonging and security. Sometimes we tie these identifiers to race, culture, and ethnicities because they seem to be the most obvious differences.
In a world where there is so much diversity, we should celebrate and recognize the worth in these differences. Chris Bishop, Leader of the House in Parliament, said, “We all need to be a bit more civil to each other. It’s a serious place, we’re sent here in serious economic times to improve the country, and we need a bit of civility in this Parliament.”
This civility requires recognizing the needs of others as well as yourself. It requires treating people differently because they may struggle more than you.
This year’s Waitangi celebration kaupapa (theme) was “manaakitanga (hospitality) and kotahitanga (unity).” We can follow the Māori example and try to promote unity this year by being hospitable to everyone. Let us celebrate each other and our differing identities, recognizing that everyone is valued equally though we may not be treated equally.