In our latest round table wānanga, Māori lawyers Dayle Takitimu and Eru Kapa-Kingi, researcher Tina Ngata, and Indigenous Rights Advocate Te Ōtane Huata explore the complex interplay between “He Whakaputanga” and “Te Tiriti o Waitangi.” They examine these two pivotal documents, which continue to fuel debates 200 years later.

Eru Kapa-Kingi highlights that He Whakaputanga declared existing Māori authority in Aotearoa, rooted in Hawaiki and established over generations. He notes that while He Whakaputanga and Te Tiriti sometimes contradict each other, they function together, with He Whakaputanga as the senior document. Not all iwi signed it; mainly Ngāpuhi chiefs, Ngāti Kahungunu, and Potatau Te Wherowhero.

Dayle Takitimu adds that He Whakaputanga represents a significant exercise in self-determination for those involved. She discusses how these historical acts reflect mana and self-determination, and she addresses British legal philosophies, noting the 2014 Tribunal finding that Ngāpuhi sovereignty was never ceded in 1840.

One not to be missed e te whānau