Political Reviews Micronesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 michael lujan bevacqua, landisang l kotaro, monica c labriola, clement yow mulalap Polynesia in Review: Issues and Events, 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016 peter clegg, lorenz gonschor, margaret mutu, christina newport, steven ratuva, forrest wade young The Contemporary Pacic, Volume 29, Number 1, 93–188 © 2017 by University of Hawai‘i Press 93 144 the contemporary pacific • 29:1 (2017) des temps coloniaux en Polynésie fran- fortnight of each other. Of Te Rōroa, çaise. Pirae, Tahiti: Editions Au Vent des Ngāpuhi, and Ngāti Whātua, Manos Iles. had an extensive background in TI, Tahiti Infos. Weekday newspaper and woodcarving and sculpture, having Internet news. Tahiti. http://www.tahiti carved the meeting house of his -infos.com Matatina Marae in Waipoua Forest TPM, Tahiti-Pacifique Magazine. Formerly (Tamati-Quennell 2015). Colleen, of monthly; weekly from August 2015. Te Popoto o Ngāpuhi ki Kaipara and Tahiti. http://www.tahiti-pacifique.com Te Rarawa, was world renowned for her clay work, which has been exhib- United Nations. 2015a. Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories transmit- ited throughout New Zealand and in ted under Article 73 e of the Charter of the the United States, the United King- United Nations. Resolution adopted by the dom, Australia, and Canada (Tamati- General Assembly on 9 December 2015. Quennell 2015; Creative New Zealand a/res/70/94. http://www.un.org/en/ga/ 2015). Te Rarawa lost a greatly loved search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/RES/70/94 leader, Gloria Herbert. She was the [accessed 27 Sept 2016] chair of their iwi authority, served on ———. 2015b. Question of French Poly- the Waitangi Tribunal, and was well nesia. Resolution adopted by the General known as being caring and gentle but Assembly on 9 December. UN General also very determined. Ngāreta Mete Assembly, 70th session. a/res/70/100. Jones of Te Rarawa was a lifelong http://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc worker for change for Māori. She was .asp?symbol=A/RES/70/100 [accessed 27 one of the founders of Kawariki, the Sept 2016] movement that brought out a new generation of northern youth in the 1980s to protest the Crown’s failure to honor Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Māori Issues Māori-language treaty between Māori Over the past year we lost a num- and the queen of England (Waatea ber of leaders who spent their lives News 2015b). Waereti Pōpata (Wal- fighting for justice for Māori. In ters) of Te Paatu, Ngāti Kahu, was a September 2015, Lady Emily Latimer fearless Māori rights advocate and one of Whakatōhea passed away. She of the first Māori community health was a staunch supporter of Māori in workers. her work with the Māori Women’s In November 2015, we lost Dr Welfare League and Māori Wardens Bruce Gregory of Ngāti Te Ao, Te and was a tireless supporter of her Rarawa. He was the member of Par- husband, Sir Graham Latimer, who liament (mp) for Northern Māori from died nine months after his wife in June 1980 until 1993. He dedicated his life 2016; he had chaired the New Zea- to Māori health and the sovereignty of land Māori Council for many years. his hapū (group of extended families) September 2015 was a particularly sad (Collins 2015b). In January 2016, month. Two of our best-known clay it was Andy Sarich of Ngāpuhi. He artists, Manos Nathan and Colleen was dedicated to the retention of the Waata Urlich, passed away within a Māori language in Te Taitokerau (the political reviews • polynesia 145 North) and served on a wide range of these great leaders, celebrating their community committees, councils, and lives and achievements, and bidding the Lotteries Commission (Waatea them farewell as they joined their News 2016a). In February, it was ancestors. Emeritus Professor Ranginui Walker Among the women leaders who of Te Whakatōhea. He fought for passed away, Gloria Herbert was a almost five decades to lift the burden rare example of a chairperson of her of colonialism and marginalization off iwi’s representative body. Although Māori. He was one of Maoridom’s women continue to play significant most influential academic leaders leadership roles in whānau (extended and advocates for Māori rights and family), hapū, and iwi (groupings of social justice. He used his columns in hapū), English colonizers denied the the weekly Listener magazine and his role of women as leaders (Mikaere six books to educate New Zealand- 2010) and trained and promoted ers about the history of this country men for roles of political leadership. and the abrogation of the human and Nowhere is that reflected more clearly treaty rights of Māori that continues than in the influential National Iwi to this day (Mutu 2016a). Chairs Forum (Mutu 2016b, 230). Whai Ngata of Ngāti Porou left us Of the now 72 chairpersons of iwi in April 2016. He was the journalist who make up the forum, only 8 are and broadcaster who established the women (National Iwi Chairs Forum Māori news program Te Karere on 2016; Forum Secretariat, pers comm, tvnz, leading a small group in the 4 Aug 2016). There is a much better successful battle to maintain a Māori balance in Parliament, where 11 of the presence on national television. He 26 mps of Māori descent are women: was also a lexicographer who helped 3 in the governing National Party, 3 in complete his father’s English-Māori Labour, 2 each in the Greens and New dictionary (Harawira 2016). In May, it Zealand First, and 1 in the Māori was Mānuera Tohu of Ngāti Kahu and Party. Metiria Tūrei is a co-leader of Te Rarawa, another lifelong advo- the Greens; Mārama Fox a co-leader cate for the retention of the Māori of the Māori Party (which currently language. He served on the Kōhanga has two seats in Parliament); while Reo (Māori language immersion Paula Bennett and Hekia Parata are preschools) National Trust for many ministers in the National government. years and was a greatly esteemed However, none of these mps represent orator and expert in tikanga (Māori Māori, and for the two Māori women law) and whakapapa (genealogy) and mps who do—Nanaia Mahuta and a kaumātua (respected elder) for the Meka Whaitiri—their first loyalty is to New Zealand Police. In June, it was their Labour Party rather than to their Rob Cooper of Ngāti Hine. He made constituents. huge contributions to Māori health In order to reclaim our mana motu- and education, with a long record hake (autonomy, power, authority, on treaty education and social justice and control derived from the gods), issues. Thousands of mourners trav- which includes our sovereignty, and eled to pay their respects to each of to put an end to the treaty and human 146 the contemporary pacific • 29:1 (2017) rights violations Māori continue to Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias com- suffer, constitutional transformation mented, “It is possible we will see is a necessity. Since 2010, a group increasing pluralism in New Zealand’s of constitutional specialists, Matike domestic legal order in fulfillment of Mai Aotearoa, have been drawing Treaty guarantees” (Elias 2015). Past up models for a constitution for the Prime Minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer is country based on tikanga and the two now advocating for a written constitu- founding documents of present-day tion, which has to recognize the Treaty New Zealand, He Whakaputanga o Te of Waitangi because “it actually makes Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni (the 1835 government here legitimate” (Moore declaration of Māori sovereignty and 2016). A columnist in the Far North’s independence) and Te Tiriti o Waitangi Northland Age quoted extracts from (Mutu 2015, 276). After extensive the Matike Mai Aotearoa report in her consultation with Māori throughout column for several months (Herbert- the country, Matike Mai Aotearoa Graves 2016), which drew a number published its report in February 2016 of vitriolic and racist responses from (Jackson and Mutu 2016). It sets out one letter writer and letters of support the very strong case for constitutional from others. transformation that moves the coun- Māori nevertheless continued try from a governance system that is to battle the government on many defined by, controlled by, and serves fronts. Perhaps the most sobering the white majority to one that is inclu- battle was that against homeless- sive of and respects all New Zealand- ness. Soaring housing costs fueled by ers and recognizes that Māori can and speculators and developers as well as will take back control of their lives the government’s refusal to intervene and resources. It sets out six indicative have resulted in alarming numbers of constitutional models that have arisen families sleeping in cars because they from the discussions. Each provides cannot pay for housing. Many of the for the “rangatiratanga sphere,” that adults sleeping rough are employed, is, the sphere of influence of Māori; and most are Māori. Despite attempts the “kāwanatanga sphere,” the sphere to highlight the plight of these people of influence of the British Crown; (Harris 2015), government inaction and the “relational sphere,” in which has led to some Māori communi- Māori and the Crown work together ties making their marae (traditional as equals as agreed in Te Tiriti o Wai- communal meeting places) avail- tangi (Jackson and Mutu 2016, 9). able to families. Te Puea Marae in There has been increasing acknowl- South Auckland was inundated with edgment of the need to transform New responses to its call on the public to Zealand’s constitutional arrangements, donate food, clothing, bedding, and especially among the country’s large money (Clarke 2016a).