Kerri Nuku, Kaiwhakahaere
NZNO Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa
This coalition Government punched women in the face when it recently cut and made it even more tricky to progress pay equity claims.
I want to offer a wāhine Māori perspective, in the hope to keep us inspired and motivated while we continue to stand up and fight back for women’s rights in Aotearoa.
Traditionally, wāhine Māori exercised power and authority and influenced the socio-economic development and cultural wellbeing of Māori communities. All their roles as politically astute leaders, defenders of the land and environment, the birthers of the next generation were embraced.
Through the continuous violence of coloniality, wāhine Māori have defended their people, their culture, their lands and language.
In 1975, Whina Cooper led one of the most important hikoi of its time, galvanising the Māori people to defend against the ongoing loss of Māori land.
Last year saw the largest political rally in our nation’s history, when wāhine Māori guided hikoi mo te Tiriti across the country, while wāhine Māori politicians defended their honour in Parliament against the Treaty Principles Bill.
People marched under the kaupapa of tino rangatira (self-determination) and kotahitanga (unity), standing shoulder to shoulder as Māori were joined by others of all ethnicities and religions. Even many of our NZNO tangata Tiriti members. All of them, refused to accept the racist anti Māori policies of the current Government.
However, the unfettered political power proposes yet more attacks not just on Māori, but us as women too. Its latest missile comes in the form of Regulatory Standards Bill, which attacks indigenous rights, environmental protection and would also remove the obligation for the Crown to consider Te Tiriti o Waitangi when drafting laws and setting regulation.
As a union, we are also concerned that bill will support the Government’s plan for deregulation which would diminish the mana of our profession as nurses, midwives and kaiawhina – lines of work dominated by women.
Wāhine Māori are also leading the fight against that bill which has appropriately been described by lawyer Tania Waikato as the Treaty Principles Bill No.2.
Wāhine Māori can also be seen fighting against this Government’s efforts to create another ‘stolen generation’ by taking out a clause in a child welfare law which means a Māori child in State care can be given to non-Māori people to raise, creating more disconnection of that child from their culture.
Regardless of what the fight is, all wāhine Māori across the different fronts or issues have things in common: A passion for whakapapa, power in unity, humility, political will and astuteness.
I don’t expect non-Māori women to fight like wāhine Māori, but at least to take note as we have been fighting systemic attacks longer than anyone else in this country.
The stories of women like the late Whina Cooper and Tariana Turia, along with today’s Annette Sykes and Linda Munn are for all of us to learn from.
Wāhine Māori and non- Māori nurses, midwives and kaiawhina need to be united now more than ever before. It is no longer enough to just go to work and do our jobs. We must make ourselves aware of the issues. We must not leave it to the aunties among us, to fight the fight. If we don’t, the rights of all women will continue to be attacked.