PM Jacinda Ardern announces her shock resignation at the Labour Party caucus retreat in Napier saying she 'no longer has that bit extra in the tank'. Video / Mark Mitchell
Māori leaders say Jacinda Ardern has left a legacy of bringing manaakitanga into mainstream politics and led the country in a direction long aspired to by those who originally signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
While the Government she has led has faced tough scrutiny from Māoridom, it has also broken ground in many areas, from the Māori Health Authority to electoral representation and the first-ever Māori public holiday for Matariki, the Māori new year.
Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Hine leader Pita Tipene was in the first year of his role as chair of Waitangi National Trust when Ardern attended her first Waitangi as Prime Minister in February 2018.
Ardern was then the first female Prime Minister to be given the right to speak at Te Whare Runanga, the Upper marae at the Waitangi Treaty grounds.
It was at that historic occasion Ardern asked Māori to hold her to account each time she returned.
Tipene said there were promises made then, in particular around housing and child poverty, that were yet to be delivered.
But he said it was not for a lack of trying, and that she had taken on some “difficult” decisions and policies to further Māori aspirations, especially the Māori Health Authority and co-governance in Three Waters reforms.
“I think history and hindsight will prove the decisions made by this Government, led by Jacinda Ardern, are moving this country in a direction that has long been aspired to by those who signed Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
“Being the chairman of the Waitangi National Trust where the Treaty was signed, some of those decisions have been very difficult and unpalatable to some parts of our country and our society.
“But the legacy will show that reforms in health, Three Waters, co-governance, and a host of other decisions are taking this country to what has long been aspired to.”
Waitangi National Trust chairman Pita Tipene said Ardern “epitomises what Waitangi is all about”. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Ardern’s last day as Prime Minister is February 7, so her last role as the country’s leader could be at Waitangi Day celebrations at the Treaty Grounds on February 6.
However, when asked about attending Waitangi, Ardern said she had not yet finalised plans.
Tipene said they would need to rethink the programme now and potentially look to have a special ceremony in what could be her last public outing in the role.
“She epitomises what Waitangi is all about, which is working in partnership,” Tipene said.
“She was always prepared to be part of decisions which may not have been acceptable to parts of our society.
“But she was always an out-and-out leader, and doing her best to make Aotearoa a better place. And she has.”
Since she became Prime Minister in 2017 Ardern has had a special relationship with Māori.
Today in announcing her resignation, Ardern said some of her proudest moments were being welcomed onto marae with pōwhiri.
When she gave birth to daughter Neve, iwi gifted her and partner Clarke names, including Te Waru o Noema from Ratana and Waimirirangi from Ngapuhi. Ngapuhi also offered a place to bury her placenta at Waitangi. They ultimately decided on Te Aroha as Neve’s middle name.
Ardern also oversaw a caucus with the highest number of Māori MPs in history and the highest number of Māori Cabinet ministers, which has seen the largest government Budgets ever delivered for Māori, topping $1 billion.
With the backing of that caucus, Labour embarked on a range of co-governance arrangements in line with Waitangi Tribunal recommendations, Matariki and reforming the school curriculum, bringing in the Treaty of Waitangi, impacts of colonisation and the New Zealand Wars.
It has not all been plain sailing, however, with criticism including initially slow progress in addressing issues at Ihumātao and ongoing inequity issues, exacerbated through the Covid-19 response and lack of partnership with Māori.
But the Government listened to concerns, and in the end devolved resources to Māori organisations that proved far more successful.
“While it wasn’t perfect, this did more for race relations since the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and met the needs of our own whānau,” said Lady Tureiti Moxon, chairwoman of the National Urban Māori Authority and managing director at Te Kohao Health in Kirikiriroa, and who had been one of Ardern’s most-vocal critics.
Whānau Ora Commissioning chair, Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, said she believed Ardern was “always focused and I believe worked hard to ensure Māori social and economic wellbeing received attention”.
“There will be some areas where more progress could have been made but I believe history will record Jacinda Ardern as an exceptional leader and Prime Minister.”
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, who has also been a strong critic of the Government’s delivery for Māori, said Ardern had brought the Māori value of manaakitanga into the top political role through her responses to the Christchurch terror attack, Whakaari disaster and Covid-19.
“The Prime Minister advanced the voices of wāhine and she advanced and gave a forum for youth,” Ngarewa-Packer said.
“People call it empathy, but it’s manaaki, and it followed her overseas. We need to now see a prime minister that’s going to continue to bridge those values with Māori.”
Ngarewa-Packer said they would have liked to see the Government push further for Māori, but acknowledged the hatred and vitriol she had been subjected to as a result.
“I think the Prime Minister has done a stellar job in putting those pou in the ground, but they are not pou that can continue to grow unless they are fought for.
“Our country needed the grace of a wāhine to lead us through this period of our history and she did so with the utmost humility and integrity.
“It is a sad day for politics where an outstanding leader has been driven from office for constant personalisation and vilification.
“Her whānau have withstood the ugliest attacks over the last two years with what we believe to be the most demeaning form of politics we have ever seen.”
Ngarewa-Packer said with Labour holding the largest Māori caucus ever it was past time for a tangata whenua prime minister, though exactly who that would be was up to the party.
