28/10/2021
In their desire to protect our people, our tupuna left an enduring promise of mana motuhake as stated within He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni — The Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand ― and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
It is now widely accepted that ngā rangatira who signed te tiriti did not cede sovereignty to the Crown, but agreed to exercise kāwangatanga only at the good graces of subservience to the hapū chiefs. They also reaffirmed He Whakaputanga’s emphatic declaration that rangatiratanga, kīngitanga, and mana in relation to their territories rested only with them on behalf of their hapū.
Today we honour those rangatira, our tupuna, who stood tall and proud so that we, their descendants, could do the same.
Image: Rawhitiroa Photography
