Waitangi Day – Palestine Forum of New Zealand – Waitangi Day Statement

Source: Palestine Forum of New Zealand – Te Huinga mō Pāhirītina I Aotearoa.

On Waitangi Day, we acknowledge Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the foundational agreement that affirms Indigenous sovereignty, justice, and the rights of Māori as tangata whenua.
E whakanuia ana e mātou a Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ā, ka tuku whakamoemiti ki te tangata whenua.

We recognise the ongoing journey to honour both the spirit and the promises of Te Tiriti, and the continued pursuit of tino rangatiratanga in Aotearoa.
Ka tautoko mātou i te tino rangatiratanga me te mana motuhake o te iwi Māori.

For Palestinians, the principles at the heart of Waitangi Day, self-determination, protection of land, language, culture, and dignity,  resonate deeply. Māori experiences of colonisation, land dispossession, and systemic injustice reflect struggles shared by Indigenous and colonised peoples around the world, including Palestinians.
He rite ngā mamae o te raupatu me te whakakāhoretanga o ngā motika taketake ki ngā iwi maha o te ao.

As Palestinians and allies living in Aotearoa, we stand in solidarity with Māori aspirations for justice and self-determination.
Ka tū mātou i runga i te kotahitanga me te iwi Māori, mō te tika me te rangatiratanga.

We also reaffirm our call for an end to the occupation of Palestine, and for international law and human rights to be upheld equally and without exception.
Kia mau te tika, kia mau te pono, kia mau te rangimārie.

Waitangi Day is not only a day of remembrance, but a call to action, to confront colonial injustice, to speak truth, and to stand alongside Indigenous peoples everywhere in their pursuit of freedom and dignity.
Kia kaha tātou ki te whakatika i ngā hara o te ao, kia ū ki te mana o ngā iwi taketake.

Palestine Forum of New Zealand

Te Huinga mō Pāhirītina i Aotearoa