Another week, another meaningful talanoa with our regular Cups of Tea community. It was one of our larger cuppa groups and it was awesome to see some new faces join us. We spent time welcoming new participants into our space with whanaungatanga-relational connecting, and shared with them about Walk Together’s which our kaimahi-staff explained, “Our core business is systemic change, intercultural facilitation and intercultural leadership development”.

There was no set topic this week and that’s always exciting. So, we opened the floor for our community to decide and one of our regular guests inquired, “It's an interesting time here [at work], there are ongoing struggles with, you know, making the commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and sort of getting a little bit shoved from more directions to have that commitment... So yeah, that's one of the struggles that we are constantly butting against…and this is what I find really cool, is coming into the space every Friday when I am able to get on without my struggle is to hear what other people are doing and the positivity. It's not all doom and gloom.”

One of our participants shared, “That always comes to mind when you're talking about the struggle is that it's a struggle between two different systems. One is a system which basically is one of colonialism, a way of operating that was brought in and put on people, whether they wanted it or not, the other was, and still is a system of cooperative operations…There needs to be flexibility built into a system.”

Stories of Te Tiriti Responsiveness

We generally tended to agree that mainstream media often perpetuates divisive stories and fuels misinformation which can be unhelpful. At the same time there was acknowledgement for what counteracts this which is the work that people are doing in their spaces. As one expressed, I still see commitment, I still see training, I still see all of this stuff happening…it's easy to feel really depressed about what goes on in the media…but then I see really amazing…community-based learning in action that's still going forward ...you can't put the genie back in the bottle, right? So that's what I feel enthusiastic about, because I feel like that's actually the positive stuff, like all the gains that we have made will continue”.

A long-time cuppa visitor who also works with their community shared, “I think most people in those spaces [those committed to a Te Tiriti-Treaty journey] will keep doing the mahi-work they've always done, kind of bubbling under the surface. They might not articulate it in some of the reports, but that's what they're still doing, and that's what we still need, and I think that's where people will go”.

One spoke about the authority Te Tiriri o Waitangi has in upholding the mana of Te Reo Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand, “I think it's it's really important to not backtrack, to keep using to keep encouraging people to put the language in, and if need be, to specify those sections of the acts that the government has laid out. No, don't back down. Don't pivot away from it.”

A Place for Everyone within Te Tiriti

Another shared their experience of being in academic spaces where Te Tiriti o Waitangi has been discussed and they have been asked about how non-Māori can begin their journey. They responded, “When people are like, where do I start? I'm like, well, do you know where you whakapapa from because that will actually inform your position in terms of being Te Tiriti responsive. Whakapapa…love that word. I feel like it's so magical and it's all encompassing, because there are layers to Te Tiriti, and each layer has its own whakapapa, including you.” This was emphasising that there is a place of recognition for all people inside of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Exploring how people connect with Te Tiriti can be a good way for people to see themselves as a part of it, rather than it being an observer of it, as one explained, “We started to explore, what does it actually look like to honor Te Tiriti or Waitangi as an organisation….as tauiwi and Tangata Tiriti, we went on that haerenga, to explore their whakapapa and their roots. To me, there's no words for that.”

It was nice to hold a space where important conversations around Te Tiriti o Waitangi can be had and everyone feels safe to share and learn from one another. This talanoa reminds us that Te Tiriti responsiveness is happening in many ways and in many spaces. It was a privilege to hear stories from our community and to share wisdom that people willingly share.

Walk Together partners with leaders, organisations and communities to design and deliver Te Tiriti-responsive approaches. We provide training, facilitation, and workshops to support implementation and problem-solving in complex systems. Contact us to explore how we can support your journey.

You are welcome to join us every Friday at 11am. Register here for another meaningful talanoa.