“If you look at our founding covenant as a marriage between ‘tangata whenua’[people of the land] and the Crown,then Te Tiriti[the country’s foundational document] is the child of that marriage,” Party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said. “It’s time tangata whenua to take full custody of Te Tiriti o Waitangi from the Crown.”
“This won’t mean the Crown is off the hook. If a couple gets divorced,you don’t lose responsibility for your child,” he added.
Ngarewa-Packer said:“The only way this nation can work is when Māori assert their rights to self-management,self-determination,and self-governance over all our domains.”
Prime Minister’s Jacinda Ardern - who has said as one of 54 members of the Commonwealth of Nations,New Zealand should continue to acknowledge Elizabeth II as a ceremonial figurehead - paid tribute to the Queen on the 70-year anniversary of her accession.
“Since the Queen took the throne as a young woman of 25,she has dedicated her life to service. We thank her for her dedication and inspiration,” Ardern said,as reported by the London Telegraph. “As Queen of New Zealand,she has always shown a deep personal interest in the life and wellbeing of our nation.”
The Maori Party,which holds two seats in Parliament,called Ardern’s tribute on Waitangi Day “an incredibly insensitive move”.