Hana-Rāwhiti Mai pi-Clark: The Firebrand Leader from New Zealand
The story of Hana-Rāwhiti Mai pi-Clark and her community is one I saw live, and it was a source of both pride and awe for me. I am telling you the story, but I am not sure if I am going to say something that isn't already covered on the internet.
Dressed in a white suit with a red blouse and with her hair open, the brave girl said:
"In just a few weeks, this government has attacked my whole world. "They have tried to take away my and your right to live in this country under health, taiao (environment), wai (water), whenua (land), natural resources, Māori wards, reo tamariki, and Te Tiriti (I am not sure but it means "the treaty"
I may not have fully understood some of the sentences of this young New Zealand MP, but you too should listen to what Hana Mai-Clark said because it was not just a speech but a war dance.
She was furious when she said that standing in the election and becoming an MP was "definitely" not her plan, but the government. "
Kept tampering with things they shouldn't have touched, and that's why I left the marae (garden) and came here."
"To Hauraki-Waikato, I am at your service inside and outside Parliament. I will die for you in these chambers, but I will live for you outside these four walls. To our mokopuna, they may attack me, but I will not let them attack you. "The first word we spoke in this House was an oath to you," she said, addressing them in her native language.
What caught the attention of citizens was Mai pi-Clark's emotionally charged 'battle cry' against the government's policies on indigenous people, which she expressed in her native language.
"How can I not take anything personally when I think these policies are made about me?
Every time you hear my voice, it will echo the voices of my ancestors. Every time you look into my eyes, you will see the children who survived.
Her another protest in New Zealand Parliament
She was in a full war zone.
"Over the next few years, you will see history rewrite itself without a pen."
New Zealand's policies against indigenous communities. As we in New Zealand know, or as I heard the parliament that will be sworn in in November 2023, New Zealand's new coalition government decided to review the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, or the Treaty of Waitangi, which upholds Maori rights, including the right to autonomy. The decision sparked anger among Maori leaders, who feared their rights would be affected and decades of progress made by indigenous people would be undone.
The government, led by Christopher Luxon of the New Zealand National Party, with populist leader Winston Peters of New Zealand First and Act Party leader David Seymour sharing the role of deputy prime minister, has announced that at least a dozen policies for Maori will be repealed or reviewed, including initiatives to improve Maori health outcomes, prevent race-based policies and reduce the use of the Maori language in the public service.
Prime Minister Luxon said voters wanted services to be provided based on need, not race, and that he was "strengthening democracy" for everyone in New Zealand. However, critics said the move was rolling back four decades of legislative decisions that form the basis of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Those days saw thousands of Maori protesters take to the streets to protest against these policies, with plans to end the 180-year-old treaty. Te Pati Maori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer told the Guardian,
"We will not accept being second-class citizens and being left behind by this government."
New Zealand's education system is one of the least equal in the developed world. Maori children are five times more likely to be in government care; two-thirds of female prisoners are Maori.
I think not just in New Zealand but in other parts of the world, there is a need for people who are representatives who are self-serving and who help their compatriots.
Note- I have used some from her original address.
Beneficiary @hive-107855
Hana would love to read this!!