Iona Winter

It’s Waitangi Day today and I am reminded of duality in me, in the melding of my two streams of whakapapa – Celtic and Māori. Both have come together in me. But there has often been conflict, miscommunication and a pull between the two – where do I belong?

Today I am reminded, that what was agreed to (by way of a Treaty) 175 years ago has often been dishonoured and disrespected. People and the land have been hurt. Time does not heal all wounds. This creates sadness within me. While it’s true we have a choice about what we carry, and what we resolve, to discount the pain of someone else is negligible. I am unable to do that.

Waitangi Day is where many people say, ‘We’re all the same. We’re all Kiwi’s.’ Somehow this completely misses the point. It’s true we are all the same, BUT only as far as all being humans (unless of course you feel you’re from Mars). Each of us have our own unique blends of ancestry. For some of us (although we may not look like it), we carry the indigenous history of Aotearoa in our blood. AND we also carry the history of the colonisers (some of whom came here because they too were colonised – but that’s another story).

I guess if we look back, many of us have ancestors who were oppressed. Oppression breeds many things, most of them negative.

It doesn’t interest me to stand on a pulpit and shout to the masses about injustice. I’ve hung up that hat (for a while). However, when mainstream media talk about indigenous Māori being marginalised, and then (in the same breath) show presenters laughing and joking about Waitangi Day being ‘just a day off’, it enrages me. This completely discounts the importance of Waitangi Day, and does nothing to acknowledge the history of Aotearoa.

Less defensiveness is needed, and more awareness. Many ‘Kiwi’s’ have zero understanding of what the Treaty is about. This should not be the case. We cannot purport to be a nation where we are bicultural, if mainstream media make a joke out of what might be called our founding document. As a young nation, we have shown the world that indigenous rights are important (to some extent), BUT what I see in the media reminds me (once again) that appearances can be deceiving.

Intolerance of difference goes on ALL OVER THE WORLD. Racism is rife, and sadly is still socially acceptable. I invite you to take a look at the people in your lives. Take a look at how you view them. Are they all the same as you are? Probably not.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t interest me how much money you make, or how much status you feel you have. I want to know if you are aware of the history of the land we stand on, here in Aotearoa. I want to know if you can feel the pulse of Papatūānuku beneath your feet, and hear her pain, AND do something about it.

So, I invite you to stand barefooted on the earth, and meet me in a place of love and awareness.