Matariki provides us all with the time and space to pause and reflect on what future we want for our nation and for our mokopuna.
Matariki provides us all with the time and space to pause and reflect on what future we want for our nation and for our mokopuna.
Opinion by Professor Vaughan Bidois
OPINION
As we approach our second year of celebrating Matariki – the first indigenous public holiday in the world – it seems timely to reflect upon the last 12 months and what has been a difficult time for many New Zealanders.
Tūhoe scholar and astronomer Rangi Mātaamua has been instrumental in not only educating us all on Matariki, but elevating our understanding of Māori astronomy and the mātauranga – both locally and nationally – that informs this.
The engaging and accessible ways in which he has shared his research and knowledge have not only ignited the hearts and minds of Māori, but of all New Zealanders.
The New Zealander of the Year, in the marking of the first Matariki celebration in 2022, noted it was a “coming of age” for our nation, and that Matariki symbolises unity as one people and one nation, and a better understanding of our national identity and who we are as a people.
The ‘one nation, one people’ mantra is not new, and is one that has been uttered by many before around the motu. However, it has not been advocated for in the manner of Professor Mātaamua.
Instead, today it appears to generally be in response to what is perceived as the ‘special treatment’ Māori are receiving, whether it be in education, health or in some other way, creating what certain people believe to be a ‘separatist’ society.
In 2004, the slogan was used by then-National Party leader Don Brash at his Orewa Rotary Club address. For those of us who remember, it was far from uniting or symbolic of our national identity, and still isn’t today.
In response to increased dissent over the term ‘biculturalism’ and, in particular, the foreshore and seabed controversy, Don Brash and his followers rallied behind the ‘one nation, one people’ slogan.
The implications of the Orewa speech were dramatic, as major political and public debate ensued through the media and in bars and lunchrooms around the motu.
Labour lost significant support in the polls to National – and the latter saw a boost of around 17 per cent, which was unprecedented in polling history in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Don Brash delivering a speech in Orewa. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Nearly two decades on, the same rhetoric is still being used to resist proposed changes that are apparently seen by some as anti-democratic or the result of – to use some other common terms doing the rounds – ‘woke’ politics, or ‘culture-cancelling’ conspiracy.
More recently, the Anti Co-Governance Group has used the same approach to rationalise their resistance to the proposed Three Waters co-governance model and to compulsory cultural capability or Te Tiriti o Waitangi-based professional development for public and private sector organisations.
This type of rhetoric is easy to identify — it normally includes the idea that something is being forcefully imposed upon a group, and that Aotearoa New Zealand is one nation of many diverse cultures.
The irony is that our entire colonial history has been premised upon the imposition of, and acceptance of, a prevailing cultural worldview that has been embedded into the very fabric of who we are as a nation and as a people, whether we like it or not.
Māori, Pākehā or otherwise, we have all been colonised — that is undeniable. What is also undeniable is that this history has not served or embraced cultural diversity very well.
Another irony is that if one feels so strongly about cultural diversity, shouldn’t cultural capability training, or culturally affirming initiatives, be embraced?
Added to this rhetoric has been the increased use of the term ‘woke’ by some social commentators, politicians, journalists and influencers in their analyses of initiatives that support cultural capability building or are committed to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
I am not necessarily shocked by these views. I am perhaps more surprised that a term which originated from the African-American communities of the US and refers to being conscious of the social injustices experienced by these communities (another contradiction, I know) is now being co-opted by sectors of a society to protect the status quo of power and control.
We can’t ignore that in 2023, Māori and Pacific people are still disproportionately represented in many social indicators, due primarily to systemic issues. These inequities are not only limited to ethnicity but are also experienced by those with disabilities, those with different sexual orientations and gender-diverse identities and the poor and most vulnerable in our communities.
Let’s not forget we’re also facing substantial cost of living increases, workforce and housing shortages and heightened concerns regarding crime, health and education in our communities.
The unchartered territories of a post-Covid Aotearoa New Zealand and the post-Ardern era have led us to some challenging times that require a reset, a re-envisioning of who we are and where we want to be as a nation.
Matariki provides us all with the time and space to pause and reflect on what future we want for our nation and for our mokopuna. It symbolises our unity and reflects the connection between two peoples in the founding of this great country, our Pacific location and the history and knowledge of all those who have chosen this land as their home. As Professor Mātaamua says: Matariki belongs to us all.
Let it be the star and constellation that enables us to see the true value of what we can all achieve and do together, in celebrating our dual heritage and embracing our cultural diversity.
Professor Vaughan Bidois (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāi Tai) is the executive director academic at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. He completed his PhD in Māori Studies through the University of Otago in 2012, and Master of Indigenous Studies in 2008.
