Knowing how to get started on your Te Tiriti journey can sometimes be overwhelming. Common questions community groups face include:
- How do we start, or what’s the next step, in our voyage?
- Who should we be working with?
- How might we repsond to the challenges we encounter along the way?
- How can we sustain the voyage?
Every organisation is different and will have different reasons for wanting to engage with Te Tiriti. Some common reasons include a desire to:
- respond appropriately to the needs of Māori clients and communities
- enhance the effectiveness of your work
- ensure professional competencies can be met
- ground your work firmly in Aotearoa
As a community organisation wanting to engage with Te Tiriti, it is important to understand these drivers and how they will impact on your work both on the ground and at a board or governance level. Depending on your organisation, there are some different approaches you can take to get started, including;
- Accessing some of the great resources available to help your organisation frame some of its questions and goals
- Attending a Te Tiriti workshop, or enlisting the help of a Te Tiriti educator to undertake in-house training with all staff.
- Reading some of the case-studies of other organisations who have gone on this journey.
Community Law
Community Law Wellington & Hutt Valley host at least two in-house Te Tiriti workshops annually. The pricing is staggered depending on your organisation, from $35 for unwaged, $75 p/p for a not-for-profits, and $150 for an individual. Please contact alex@wclc.org.nz or visit wclc.org.nz for more information.
Te Tiriti articles in practice
The following questions can guide tangata Tiriti organisations to consider how they are responding to Te Tiriti within their work. As Te Tiriti is about relationships, it’s important to recognise that responding to these questions is only a starting point. The actions you take as an organisation will evolve over time in response to the relationships that you hold with tangata whenua.
1. Kāwanatanga : honourable governance for mutual benefit
- How are our processes, actions and decision-making informed and shaped by both tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti worldviews/perspectives?
- How are we working in partnership with tangata whenua?
2. Tino Rangatiratanga – Māori self-determination/sovereignty means
- How are we supporting tangata whenua led processes, actions and decision-making through sharing power and resources?
3. Ōritetanga – Equity for Māori means
- What specific actions are we undertaking to ensure equitable outcomes for tangata whenua?
4. Wairuatanga – Upholding of belief systems
- How do we ensure the presence of tangata whenua worldviews, values and wairuatanga within our work.
Useful Links and Resources
- Treaty Resource Centre – an excellent starting point for organisations new to Te Tiriti, it includes a library of resources plus information about education and training.
- The Ngā Rerenga o Te Tiriti case studies presented by The Treaty Resource centre provide a range of examples from different organisations of how they are engaging with Te Tiriti in both governance and operational ways.
- This blog is a reflection on Inspiring Communities process of engagement.
- A useful, hands-on webinar that can assist organisations on their Te Tiriti voyage, whether they are just getting started or are wanting to check they are on the right course.
- Treaty Educators – A list of people who deliver Te Tiriti education and training. This site includes those educators in the tangata Tiriti network who have websites, however there are other tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti educators, just ask around or contact community law for more information.