The everlasting business of Tiriti allyship: A keynote address

Heather was recently asked to speak at the Uru Kahikatea Physiotherapy conference this is a synopsis of that kōrero.

Thanks for the invitation to speak. I wish to acknowledge the good folk of Tae Ora Tinana and their manaaki of me during this conference.

He tangata Tiriti ahau. As a seventh-generation New Zealander Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the terms and conditions of my family’s settlement in this country. The anti-Māori hate and anti-Tiriti actions of the current government is the most hostile times I have witnessed in my lifetime. 

My name is Heather Came. I am an activist scholar at large. I grew up on the lands of Ngātiwai and now live on the lands of Ngāti Kahungunu. My background is in public health, social justice activism and I spent time at the university. I now run a consultancy Heather Came & Associates specialising in Tiriti and racial justice and live in Waipawa.

I am not clinically trained but have tried to frame my kōrero around things you know as physiotherapists. It is framed for tangata Tiriti about how to have an embodied commitment to Te Tiriti. It calls on the whole person: engaging head, heart, and hands; staying attuned with open eyes and ears; planting one's feet with an unyielding spine; trusting quiet gut instincts; and leaning, when needed, on a healthy funny bone. This kōrero is an invitation to leave the sidelines and embrace Toitū te Tiriti as health practitioners and citizens.

Head, eyes, ears and voice To be a Tiriti ally you need to see what is often unseen. You need to notice monocultural practice, witness Whiteness. When you are in private practice it is useful to attend to who turns up at your door, and who stays away. This may be a reflection of the cultural safety of your practice.

It is important to listen to Māori accounts of our history. Ranginui Walker’s book Ka Whawhai tonu mātou is an important text that all New Zealanders should read. Pākehā need to also read Pākehā and Tauiwi accounts of our history. Pākehā need to know who we are and stand in our own cultural traditions. Once you understand where you stand in relation to Te Tiriti, our history, and colonisation, take action within your spheres of influence. 

Asians Supporting Tino Rangatiratanga are a rōpū that walk their talk and always turn up, with excellent banners and nuanced analysis. Our spheres of influence might be our children’s education, challenging our neighbours, drafting a submission to a select committee, letter to the editor or your member of parliament or simply signing a petition. Every action (and inaction) counts.

Colonisation is related to patriarchy, which goes hand in iron glove with capitalism. It is a complex system of power we need to understand and always question who is benefiting from this status quo. It can be as simply as ensuring those we give a platform to at conferences have a gender analysis. We should not be hosting all white panels at conferences. It always matters what rangatahi, Māori, Pacific, tangata whaikaha have to say. 

As Tiriti allies we need to be curious and open hearted. We need to see what is in front of us but notice what else is going on underneath. Why do we have health inequities in this country and who is benefitting, being disadvantaged by this?

Matua Moana Jackson was a visionary leader. He encouraged us to have big dreams for our mokopuna. He encouraged us to foster our imagination. He reminded us Māori lives matter.

We need to notice intersectionality, the idea that that structural disadvantage impacts on different groups in compounding ways. This week the Hauwhakaikaha Waitangi Tribunal Report on the disability sector was released. We need to consider how we systematically remove barriers to tangata whaikaha flourishing.

Feelings such as rage when you learn our colonial history are normal. I encourage Pākehā to process our feelings with other Pākehā rather than expecting Māori to do all the emotional labour. Pākehā discomfort at witnessing colonisation is different from Māori experience of the disaster of living through colonisation. Beyond Pākehā discomfort and guilt lies, joy, fellowship, justice and if you are lucky fry bread. 

Wasn’t Hana Maipi-Clarke’s parliamentary haka fabulous. It is estimated between 370-700 million people have viewed the clip. Find your voice for Tiriti justice and you might find out the world is listening. Nga Wai Hono I te Po - the Māori queen - continues her family’s legacy promoting kotahitanga. In her most recent speech, she spoke about moving from raupatu to rauora (flourishing). For Māori to consistently flourish we need government (regardless of who is leading) to halt state violence against the Māori world and step into the inspiration of honourably building Tiriti-based futures. 

Take any mana wāhine opportunity to listen to Māori women and never ever miss an opportunity to study the teachings of Moana Jackson. As ethically grounded practitioners we need to consider how Te Tiriti influences our practice. How does being a physiotherapist in New Zealand look and feel different than if you were practicing in Australia or elsewhere?

Hands

In the current political environment, inaction is not neutral it is to aligned with those that seek to neutralise Māori, forget colonisation and make us into a cookie cutter ‘one people’ nation. Māori are the Indigenous people of this whenua and He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti provide the terms and conditions of non-Māori settlement. If we can’t honour and uphold Te Tiriti we don’t belong here. 

According to my sister-in-law – Susan da Silva - Tiriti justice and antiracism practice is about “having a go, reflecting and having another go”. We learn from mistakes. That is how we learned to talk, walk, ride a bike, maintain a loving intimate relationship. 

Lean into your creativity and your strengths and do something today and every day to advance Tiriti justice. I’m involved in several such developments. Moana Maniapoto tweeted a challenge to Pākehā in 2019 about what were we doing around decolonisation training. I rustled up some friends and responded. We co-created Te Tiriti based futures + Antiracism an open-access virtual biennial gathering as a conscientisation event. With our YouTube channel it is a resource for anyone wanting to learn more. 

The current government has pushed into writing submissions and do oral submissions. Our family were proud to, join the 100,000 strong hikoi, visit parliament and oppose the Treaty of Waitangi Principles Bill. This regressive, anti-Tiriti Coalition has given us no choice but to make new banners, placards, to wear political t-shirts, badges and get new bumper stickers.  Since they were elected we have set up the nation-side Radical Sewing Circle and the Radical Kitchen Crew to foster solidarity in diabolic times. Now is a time for empathy, compassion, warmth. We need to find our people, notice what is going on, lean in and take action. 

If you want to learn more about our colonial history and Te Tiriti check out Te Kawenata Tapu our new 24-hour self-directed e-learning. It is labour of love we created last summer that fosters critical thinking and will enable an activist scholar to continue to hold the pen and pay bills.

A take home message from this kōrero is that antiracism is a verb. Please, take action within your sphere of influence. As Alice Walker said in her book of the same name “We are the people we have been waiting for”, if we are committed to Tiriti and racial justice we simply need to take action.

Heart, soul, funny bone and puku

I study family genealogy, so I am blessed with knowing something about my own people. I love the question from Ganesh Nana how to be good ancestors? What will we leave behind? This is important in terms of Te Tiriti it is already an intergenerational story spanning 180+ years. 

Manaakitanga is always important. We need to look after each other beyond our inner circle. If you look up you will realise we live in a village or a series of villages and what we do, how we live our lives, how we share or don’t share power, affects others.

We are not really an army, but all armys are powered by their stomachs. Never underestimate the importance of kai and kōrero. Te Tiriti is about time spent and relationships.

We need mentors to guide us a long the way. My worst fear is being at the top of the food chain. I am pleased to be travelling with Tim McCreanor and the late Mitzi Nairn and Joan MacDonald amongst others. 

Mokopuna help us keep it real. They are grounding, inspirational and fierce. 

To sustain the kaupapa we need to embrace dancing, singing and celebrating small and big wins. Belly laughs are also important. Dame Lynda and Jools Topp are Pākehā role models who have done work for Tiriti justice for decades. They are funny, smart, deadly creative and do activism in their own style.

You often hear Sir Apirana Ngata’s whakataukī He aha te mea nui o te ao. He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. What is the most important thing in the world. It is people, it is people, it is people. The whakataukī is not other White people like me, other White people like me, people like me. Pākehā and Tauiwi alike have Tiriti responsibilities.

This work is not for solo practitioners it is a team activity. Find your people. You will need support along the way and collective action is required. We need you for a long time not a dramatic short contribution.

Backbone, knees and feet

We recently did a pilgrimage to Africa the birthplace of humankind, a key frontline of colonisation and the cutting edge of decolonisation. We visited Robben Island and say a massive wall of plaques with the names of male anti-apartheid activists that had been locked up there. It reminded me of a kōrero with Rob Cooper, the architect of Māori health providers, who challenged me by asking me what was I prepared to give up for Tiriti justice?

We can always turn our backs as the Māori nurses did to confront Crown ministers that are trampling on Te Tiriti. We don’t have to bend our knees to power we can be creative and take action within our sphere of influence. We all have some form of agency. Let’s be remembered for being courageous.

Māori have a right to seats at the table given that the table belongs to Māori. The Wai 1040 Ngāpuhi Waitangi Tribunal stage one Report is very clear that Māori never ceded sovereignty. This is a Māori country. We should have Māori wards, co-management, co-governance and Te Tiriti embedded in our constitutional documents at every level.

We know what dishonourable kawanatanga is because we have witnessed it for 180+ years. I am pleased to be working with Clive Aspin and others to study what constitutes honourable kāwanatanga. We are exploring how movement leaders, organisations, and organisational leaders are embracing Te Tiriti. We recently launched an educational resource - a set of double-sided, illustrated postcards featuring research-inspired provocations to spark conversations about honourable kāwanatanga.

Over the last 25 years we seen many different Ministers of Health but our current life expectancy gap remains unacceptable. The gap in quality and quantity of care between Māori and non-Māori is an ongoing source of injustice. Frequent Māori reports of racism when accessing healthcare are heart-breaking. Hauora shouldn’t be a political football.

As Tangata Tiriti, Pākehā and Tauiwi are here under the mantle of Te Tiriti. If we want to call this whenua our turangawaewae we need to be good manuhiri and uphold Te Tiriti. I grew up on Ngātiwai land and now live on the land of Ngāti Kahungunu. My role in decolonisation is on the intellectual frontline, and as a grassroots organiser. This mahi is conscious, intentional and often difficult. 

Mitzi Nairn used to say “Why can’t we be the Pākehā [that] Māori thought they were negotiating Te Tiriti with”. The Government doesn’t speak for me. I choose radical love over hate. I choose justice and sharing power. What side of history do you want to be on? I stand with the people that want to tax the rich, give the land back and uphold Te Tiriti. Toitū te Tiriti.