From its inception the Climate Forum has seen itself as a partnership under the Treaty.
The Charter statement ends with this:
‘Regardless of the level of commitment (if any) chosen by tangata whenua under this Charter, the Forum will continue to engage with and work alongside tangata whenua as kaitiaki of the rohe and as partners under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.’
The structure of our Leadership Group embodies this idea, with a Māori Co-Chair and a non-Māori Co-Chair, and with four seats designated for iwi representatives. Our Te Reo translation of our Charter is treasured. It refers specifically to the three clauses of the Tiriti.
The Forum has recently set about a more deliberate approach to acquiring skills and knowledge needed for the partnership we aspire to.
This structure and our intentions to be good partners may be seen as a model for working in partnership under Te Tiriti.
The Treaty Principles Bill clearly seeks to abolish the idea of partnership which is fundamental to the Forum, and to many other social processes at all levels of society in Aotearoa.
There are other reasons to oppose this Bill. You will find them well described in the listed linked articles.
Tribunal releases chapter 6 of the report Ngā Mātāpono/The Principles
Top lawyers tell PM to ‘abandon’ Treaty Principles Bill | Stuff
Treaty Principles Bill ‘inviting civil war’, Jenny Shipley says | RNZ News
The real reason behind Act’s push to redefine the Treaty principles | The Spinoff
Let’s not play into Seymour’s hands – Newsroom
Treaty Principles Submission Guide – action.greens.org.nz
You can make your submission here.