Meeting on Indigenous Peoples and Indicators of Well-Being

UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES

DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS Division for Social Policy and Development Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

MEETING ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND INDICATORS OF WELL-BEING

22-23 March 2006

Aboriginal Policy Research Conference, Ottawa

Proactive and strategic development based on

Maori aspirations for identity, wellbeing and potential.

Submitted by Dan Te Kanawa

1 1 Introduction

This presentation is about Tuhono, an initiative that was developed and implemented by Maori for the purpose of contributing to the pursuit and realisation of Maori aspirations of identity, wellbeing and potential.

For many, the modern world of globalization imposes many challenges, risks and threats upon all indigenous cultures and their people who desire to maintain their identity. This has heightened awareness for the need to develop strategies and initiatives to mitigate these threats, and protect the overall wellbeing of indigenous people and their cultures.

This has also highlighted the importance of quality research and the development of indicators of wellbeing that are appropriate for the respective indigenous societies.

However, although we all recognise the importance of robust and reliable research and ongoing monitoring of indigenous communities, it is probably more important that we as indigenous people are proactive leaders and participants in positive developmental change which is driven by our own aspirations and imperatives.

We must forever be mindful of the risk of becoming laboratory mice for the purpose of accurately measuring the status of our economic, social and cultural wellbeing or for the curious who might want to determine the precise rate of our demise.

I believe that indigenous people need to take the lead in developing and implementing comprehensive strategies of positive developmental change that are based on their own aspirations and imperatives. This will include but is likely to extend well beyond the development of indicators of wellbeing for the purpose of reliable research and policy development by government agencies.

It is difficult to conceive that the hopes, dreams and aspirations of Maori can be achieved solely by changes in government policies. It is more inconceivable that these outcomes could be achieved without the proactive drive, commitment and engagement of our people.

2 Such strategies and initiatives should be based upon and be driven by,  The aspirations of the people for their identity, wellbeing and potential.  Strategic networking and development of positive relationships  Inclusivity and engagement of the people.  Enhancing the cultural, social and economic wellbeing of the people

The Tuhono initiative has been inspired by, founded upon and is driven by these beliefs, values and perspectives of self determination,

1. Tuhono

Tuhono is a Maori word which is used to convey the concepts of joining, linking, healing or reconstituting. Tuhono can be used in either a spiritual or a physical sense and does not have a negative connotation.

The initial objective of assisting iwi (tribal) organisations to develop and maintain comprehensive and up to date registers of their members was based on providing the opportunity for individual iwi members to reaffirm their tribal links and heritage based on their iwi or tribal affiliations, collective interests or shared aspirations. The dynamic nature of the concept led to the adoption of Tuhono as the brand name for the strategies, initiatives and services that have been developed.

2. What is Tuhono?

Tuhono is an advocate for and a contributor to a network of Maori individuals, iwi and other entities who engage with each other in fostering Maori identity, wellbeing and potential, primarily in pursuit of the following objectives;

 Spiritual and cultural wellbeing  Education and personal development  The relief of poverty through the development of potential  Enhancement of and benefit to the community  Inclusive access, participation and accountability 3. The relevance of Tuhono to the wellbeing of indigenous peoples The concept note for the meeting on indigenous peoples and indicators of wellbeing refers or alludes to issues and themes that are consistent with the Tuhono experience and are identified below, under the headings used in the concept note.

 Background

. [2] -The exclusion of criteria from the UN’s declared 8 goals, 18 targets and 48 indicators which are essential for the wellbeing of indigenous

3 people as well as their own aspirations and perceptions of development.

. [5] -Data collection and disagregation has been identified as a major methodological issue.

. [11] -The absence of indicators that reflect the situation and aspirations of indigenous peoples

 Objectives and outcomes . All four meeting objectives  Proposed activities . Indigenous peoples collecting their own information and data

2 Developing and implementing Tuhono

The following summarises the key issues involved in developing and implementing Tuhono as a national service for all Maori and all recognised iwi entities.

1. Primary objectives

The primary objectives of Tuhono was to

(a) Establish a service that assisted iwi organisations to develop comprehensive and up to date registers of their affiliated members.

(b) Facilitate the participation of tribal members in a process which enables them to enroll on their tribal registers.

2. Identifying Maori imperatives and aspirations to drive Tuhono.

Tuhono was set up as a national service to serve the relevant collective needs and aspirations of the Maori. As there was no documented or widely accepted definition of collective Maori aspirations, Tuhono developed and declared by adoption a set of key statements called “Te Pae Tawhiti” which are considered to reflect the collective aspirations of Maori. The intention was to prompt rigorous debate and discussion that would lead to the refinement and enhancement of these statements

4 over time until there was a strong consensus and acceptance amongst Maori and others regarding collective Maori aspirations.

The Te Pae Tawhiti statements of collective Maori aspirations, declare that in pursuing wellbeing for our people, the desired future will be realised when Maori, through there own endeavours, are able to enjoy a quality of lifestyle where,

(a) Their mauri or spiritual essence is vibrant and empowering.

(b) Their spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical wellbeing is strong.

(c) They are conversant, secure and pro-active participants in all facets of social, cultural, economic and political life.

(d) The whanau (family), hapu (band) and iwi (tribe), as pillars of Maori society, have become the basis for their collective cultural, social and economic development and prosperity.

(e) They are comfortable and competent in both the Maori and the modern world.

(f) They are well educated, strive to realise their full potential and are able to readily cope with the challenges of a rapidly changing modern world

(g) Their whanaungatanga (relationships) have been rejuvenated and developed to the extent that the whanau (family) has become a strong and valued support unit for all its members.

(h) They play a positive and active role within their extended whanau, hapu, iwi and the wider community.

(i) They are enterprising and employing resources to contribute to their independence and wellbeing.

(j) The Maori identity, culture and values are widely understood and respected by all New Zealanders.

(k) The Treaty of Waitangi is properly honoured as a covenant between Maori and other New Zealanders.

(l) They are able to live with dignity and in harmony with the cultural, social and physical environments that they share with others.

5 3. The opportunity provided by the Waitangi Treaty settlements process

The Waitangi Treaty settlements process has provided a unique opportunity and impetus for the development and implementation of Tuhono.

It has imposed a wide range of imperatives and compliance requirements as summarised below,

(a) The government’s desire to secure robust and enduring treaty settlements which are based on comprehensive and reliable communication with members of the tribe or claim as well as mandates and agreements.

(b) The desire of iwi or claimant groups to progress their respective treaty claims by ensuring the majority of their members are included on their membership database to facilitate wide communication and participation to meet the consultation, mandating and accountability requirements.

(c) The desire of individual members who have a vested interest in the claims to be included in the communication, mandating and accountability requirements.

4. Key challenges and milestones

The following summarises they key issues that were critical to the successful implementation of Tuhono.

 Selecting widely respected people to drive and front Tuhono

 Gaining the support of iwi (tribes) and Government

 Securing amendment to the Electoral Act 1993

 Securing resources to fund Tuhono implementation and operations

 Adopting a strong outsourcing strategy for operational capability

 Developing dynamic data capture and management systems.

 Facilitating organisational networking of stakeholders & communication

 Promoting awareness, understanding & participation of Maori

 Developing a robust communication strategy to maintain and enhance relationships.

6 3 Outcomes achieved to date

 Since launching in March 2004, almost 100,000 people of Maori descent are on the Tuhono database which is equivalent to 26% of 380,000 potential adult registrants.

 The confirmed participating iwi organisations to date collectively represent 96% of the total Maori population.

 Tuhono now provides both an “offline” (form based) and an online (internet based) options to Maori to register with their iwi.

4 The benefits and emerging potential of Tuhono

As mentioned above, the initial objective of the Tuhono services was to,

 assist Maori to be registered with their respective iwi organisations, and

 Enable iwi organisations to establish comprehensive, reliable and up to date registers of the affiliated members.

The subsequent implementation of these core services has resulted in the building of positive relationships between Tuhono and the people as well as the representative iwi organisations. This in turn is leading to the establishment of a dynamic and growing network which provides benefits in terms of communications and organisational collaboration. It is already evident that this has considerable strategic potential in terms of using new technologies and developing systems to access and expand organisational capability and the sharing of organisational intelligence.

With the technologies utilised and the systems that have been developed, Tuhono is fast approaching the point where it will have the capability to facilitate, in collaboration with qualified researchers, the participation by Maori in their own data collection and research.

5 Conclusion

The Tuhono initiative is a proactive response by Maori for Maori. It has the

potential to facilitate effective networking and engagement of all stakeholders for

the purpose of promoting positive developmental change needed to achieve Maori

aspirations of wellbeing.

7 The purpose and approach that has been adopted in developing and implementing

Tuhono has been based on Maori aspirations of wellbeing rather than the current

status of Maori wellbeing or their relativity with other New Zealanders or people.

Tuhono promotes the notion that Maori aspirations of wellbeing will be achieved

substantially through their own endeavours, and hopefully, with the support and

endorsement of others.

If the Tuhono approach is considered to have merit for other indigenous people,

then I believe the following are key imperatives,

 The development and declaration of the peoples aspirations,

 The collaboration and commitment of the people to take the lead in developing their own strategies for positive developmental change

 Seeking the support of those who are widely respected and have the confidence and trust of the people to drive and front these strategies.

 Securing the commitment of government to incorporate the identification of indigenous people on the national electoral roll.

 Securing the resources to implement the people’s strategies and initiatives

I wish to conclude by thanking those who gave me the opportunity to attend and participate in this conference and look forward to engaging with other participants to discuss and share ideas and experiences as well as expand our respective networks..

Nga mihi nui ki a koutou

Daniel T. Te Kanawa

Chief Executive TUHONO

Email; [email protected]