Otiria Marae

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Introducton
Thank you for welcoming Janine and my party on to Otiria Marae.  I particularly want to thank the Māori Women’s Welfare League for issuing the invitation to come here today.  I would like to speak of my connections and whakapapa before turning to speak of Ngāpuhi and Te Tiriti o Waitangi—The Treaty of Waitangi.

Connections and whakapapa
As I mentioned in my mihi, my heritage is of Te Arawa waka and specifically Ngāti Tūwharetoa. 

I am also a descendent of Tākitimu waka and Ngāti Kahungunu.  My mother’s mother was from Tūhoe.  However, I am also a descendent of immigrants who arrived from Britain on the sailing ship, Katherine Stewart Forbes, in 1841.

I can also link to Ngāti Tūmatauenga.  I wore the uniform of the New Zealand Army with pride for over 38 years.

Tūmatauenga is also the name of this sacred wharenui that stands before us as a memorial to the men of this iwi who fought and died in many battles far from home, defending our country, our customs and our values. 

Tūmatauenga was opened by Sir Bernard Fergusson, on 5 February 1964, my predecessor in the Office of Governor-General. The following day, after he officiated here, Sir Bernard spoke on the Treaty grounds at Waitangi.  Opening his Waitangi Day address in te reo, Sir Bernard repeated the words that our first predecessor, Lieutenant Governor Captain William Hobson, made on 6 February 1840, and I repeat them now: “he iwi kotahi tatou.”

And it is in this vein, as Governor-General, the representative of the Queen of New Zealand, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and in my own right, that I stand before you today.

The Governor-General, Ngāpuhi and the Treaty
Te Tiriti o Waitangi—The Treaty of Waitangi—was signed on 6 February 1840 in the name of Queen Victoria, our Queen Elizabeth’s great-great grandmother, by William Hobson.
Te Tiriti—The Treaty was also signed that day by more than 40 Northland, primarily Ngāpuhi, rangatira.  There are many here who are descendants of those great rangatira. 

When Sir Bernard spoke at Waitangi he told of how that morning he had met a man aged 94 whose father, when aged 10, was present when Te Tiriti—The Treaty was signed.  Such is the passage of time that we only have paper and memories to hold—the people have gone.

When it was announced in February this year that I would be New Zealand’s 20th Governor-General, there were a number of requests for us to visit marae.
While I accepted the invitation to return to Tūwharetoa before being sworn in, I decided that the first marae I should enter as Governor-General would be one belonging to Ngāpuhi.  I did so for a number of reasons.

The peoples of Te Tai Tokerau and particularly Ngāpuhi played a prominent role during the earliest contact with Pākehā, with the Bay of Islands at the centre of trade and commerce with the rest of the world.

Ngāpuhi allowed the first Christian mission to be established on their land and were also at the forefront of political developments with Pākehā and the rest of the world.

Ngāpuhi hosted the deliberations that led to the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi—the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840; and the Treaty grounds are the birthplace of New Zealand as a modern nation.

Many wrongs were committed by the Crown and the terms of Te Tiriti—The Treaty were breached many times.   Many iwi lost their land and have suffered great economic, social and cultural hardship ever since.  And this needs to be addressed, especially in this rohe.

Where Ngāpuhi has suffered, its people and its leaders have played a pivotal role in turning the tide.  They include people such as the late Sir James Henare who served with great honour as the commanding officer of the 28 (Māori) Battalion, and later in public life.  It was at this marae that Sir James’ tangihanga was held in 1989.

Another person of great mana from the North was the kuia, the late Dame Whina Cooper,  who brought the issue of land loss to public prominence when she led the hikoi from Ngāpuhi’s rohe to Parliament in 1975.   She was rightly called the mother of nation, Te Whāea-o-te-motu, for her contribution to Māori land rights and the promotion of Te Reo Māori and Tikanga Māori, including as foundation president of the Māori Women’s Welfare League.

The same year that Dame Whina led her hikoi, was also the year that the Waitangi Tribunal was established, tasked with investigating breaches of the terms of the Treaty.  Since the 1980s, the tribunal has played a key role in New Zealanders’ re-evaluation of our past and the long shadow it casts over relations between Māori and Pākehā. 

The tribunal process and the process of negotiations with the Crown aim to achieve genuine truth and reconciliation, to resolve Treaty grievances and build comprehensive and durable settlements.  I understand the Northland inquiry, Te Paparahi o Te Raki, is moving towards its second stage of hearings.  

It is a process that holds the promise of healing the past and building a new future for you, your tamariki and mokopuna.  It is that notion that I put before you today and wish you all the best with your deliberations. 

Conclusion
In conclusion, I thank you again for inviting me here today.  As Governor-General of New Zealand, representative of the Queen of New Zealand, and representative of all New Zealanders, I again acknowledge and greet Ngāpuhi, our nation’s largest iwi—Ngāpuhi who have played a central role in the creation of New Zealand as a modern nation.   Ngāpuhi who have a proud past that has brought forth many leaders of great mana from Hōne Heke to Sir James Henare and Dame Whina.   As the well-known Ngāpuhi motto states: "Kia tū tika ai te whare tapu o Ngāpuhi—May the sacred house of Ngāpuhi always stand firm.”  Kia ora huihui tātou katoa.