Waitangi – Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi Brings 17-Member Indigenous Hawaiian Delegation to Waitangi in Solidarity with Māori

Source: Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi

Waitangi, Aotearoa – Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi, a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) initiative for self-determination and self-governance formed in 1987, has sent a 17-member Indigenous Hawaiian delegation to Waitangi, Aotearoa to stand in solidarity with the Māori people in defense of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.  The delegation is present to stand alongside Māori leadership, strengthen international solidarity, and affirm the deep genealogical and oceanic ties shared by Indigenous peoples of Moana Nui a Kanaloa.

On February 3, members of the delegation participated in a pōwhiri with iwi taketake at Te Tii Waitangi Marae, marking a formal welcome and the beginning of their engagement alongside Māori communities and leaders.

Members of the delegation will be speaking at the Political Forum tent on February 5 at 4:00 p.m., participating in the dawn ceremony on February 6, and marching alongside their whānau in support of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The delegation has issued a formal Statement of Solidarity calling on the international community to pay close attention to developments in Aotearoa, as political actions continue to seek to weaken and reinterpret Te Tiriti and undermine Māori rangatiratanga.

The statement raises serious concern that recent government actions and political rhetoric have misrepresented efforts to address structural discrimination as “racial privilege,” and have enabled legislative initiatives seeking to radically redefine the meaning of Te Tiriti—triggering widespread national protests, multiple claims before the Waitangi Tribunal, judicial review proceedings, and large nationwide hui of Māori leaders.

“The world should know what is happening in Aotearoa. As Kanaka Maoli, we know what it means to have our lands, waters, and political future decided without us,” said Healani Sonoda-Pale, spokesperson for Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi. “We came to Waitangi so the world can see that Māori are not standing alone—and that Indigenous peoples across the Pacific are watching, standing together, and demanding that Te Tiriti o Waitangi be fully honored. Our struggles are connected, and our collective liberation as Indigenous peoples of Oceania are bound to one another.”