Māori Ministers told to ‘drop the attitude’ at iwi leaders forum by Ngāti Kahungunu chair Bayden Barber

Ngāti Kahungunu chair Bayden Barber.

Ngāti Kahungunu chair Bayden Barber says he’s getting hoha with ministers coming to the Iwi Chairs Forum as though they are doing Māori a favour.

He says the best parts of last week’s forum in Tauranga moana was the time iwi had together, including talks Kahungunu had with other iwi about its future economic direction.

He says kotahitanga is about iwi Māori looking at themselves rather than leaning on government all the time.

“I’m getting a bit hoha with these MPs coming in kind of like we’re subservient to them. No way! No, no,no. I think we need to change that. Soon as we cut those apron strings and actually start on our own journey, it’ll be the better for us. And like I say, it might be painful, but that’s where we need to get to,” Barber says.

Kahungunu is looking forward to hosting the motu at its Kotahitanga hui at the end of this month.

Barber says the call from hui at Tūrangawaewae, Rātana and Waitangi was for kotahinga.

He says iwi Māori must come together as an irresistible force that cannot be ignored, no matter who is sitting in government.

Kingi Tuheitia called for kotahinga unity in January.

Kahungunu has a long history with attempts to unify Māori, going back to the Kotahitanga Movement started with a hui held at Waipatu Marae in Heretaunga in 1892.

The hui taumata will be held on May 31 at Omāhu Marae, the largest marae in Heretaunga and one of the seven marae devastated by Cyclone Gabrielle just over a year ago.

Barber says Omāhu is a tohu of Māori mana motuhake, of true community resilience in the face of extreme hardship.

Adam Gifford & Gideon Porter, Waatea.News.Com