Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a founding document for Aotearoa. It envisaged a relationship of mutual benefit between those who were here (tangata whenua) and all those who were to come (tangata Tiriti). It was an agreement to an on-going power-sharing relationship, in which the autonomy and rangatiratanga of hapū/iwi was affirmed.
Crown breaches of Te Tiriti in the process of colonisation have severe, destructive, and enduring impacts on hapū/iwi/Māori and are a root cause of the current housing crisis for Māori. The Challenge is funded by the Crown and therefore carries responsibilities to uphold Te Tiriti. We believe that Māori-led solutions are critical not only to address issues of Māori housing and urban exclusion but can provide significant, transferrable approaches that can benefit Aotearoa as a whole.
In 2020, the Rauika Māngai produced a guide to Vision Matauranga that will assist researchers and research organisations to implement our treaty commitments – Ruaika Māngai: A guide to Vision Mātauranga.
We are committed to upholding Te Tiriti within the Challenge through:
1. Supporting rangatiratanga through funding Māori-led research
2. Ensuring our structure and processes reflect our commitment to power and resource sharing
3. Advocating for Te Tiriti honouring change
To achieve our Te Tiriti commitments we will:
1. Support rangatiratanga through funding Māori-led research
- Resource whānau/hapū/iwi research capability and leadership
- Strengthen the kaupapa Māori research space
- Ensure all research contributes to and expands on Vision Mātauranga
2. Ensure our structure and processes reflect our commitment to power and resource sharing
- Integrate Te Tiriti commitments into the Challenge’s strategy
- Enact decision-making processes that respect Mātauranga Māori and Western science equally
- Embed structures and processes for equitable Tiriti-based sharing of power and resources at governance and management level
3. Advocate for Te Tiriti honouring change
- Demonstrate, and advocate for, Te Tiriti partnership with agencies and partner
- Advocate for Māori-led/determined solutions to housing and urban issues