NN> Original-Sender: scilibx.ucsc.edu!jmarie (Jacquelyn Marie)
NN> I am inquiring for a native Hawaiian scholar about a possible
NN> indigenous
NN> women's conference to be held in New Zealand in Feb. 1993. Does
NN> anyone
NN> have any information? Thanks. Jacquelyn Marie, UC Santa Cruz, CAl.
NN> 95064
NN> E-mail: jmarie@scilibx.ucsc.edu
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N A T I O N A L M A O R I C O N G R E S S
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The founding constitutional document of Aotearoa New Zealand
is the Treaty of Waitangi, signed by the British Crown with the
indigenous Maori tribes in 1840. The Treaty of Waitangi
established the partnership between Maori and the Crown, a
partnership which has developed over the past 150 years into a far
less than equitable one for Maori.
The national Census figures approximate the 1991 Maori
population as being 431,000 or 15% of the total national
population. The Census data however defines Maori as those people
choosing to confirm their Maori descent for the purposes of
national statistics. At least 81,000 do not. The 1991 National
census was the first Census to ever attempt to collect data on
specific tribal as well as general Maori number. Tribal statistics
on their own membership however, determined by genealogy,
consistently indicates a higher number than the national figures.
Maori tribes are united by a common language (Maori), a
shared history and common cultural values and traditions. More
recently Maori have also been united politically through the
establishment of the National Maori Congress.
Maori have a traditional philosophy on the environment and
its development which incorporated four main concepts; Totemism,
animism, reciprocity and guardianship. These are founded in our
view of how the earth was formed and how people came to inhabit
earth. Maori acknowledge Ranginui, the Sky Father and Papatuanuku,
the Earth Mother, in all aspects of life. To further cement the
bond with earth, each iwi/tribe is identified by its relationship
with its own particular mountain and river. This identification
forms the basis of tribal mana/pride and dignity.
Unlike many other indigenous peoples whose members primarily
occupy reservation settlements or isolated land areas
traditionally exclusive of non-indigenous inhabitants, Maori
people and traditional tribal lands occupy the total land mass of
Aotearoa, New Zealand. This means that Maori inhabit the full
range of geographic variety found within the country; coastal,
inland and estuarine settlements, mountain, desert, forest, and
pastoral land areas. It also means that Maori have limited
autonomy over the lands they occupy, including traditional tribal
lands. The bulk of the Maori population now resides in urban
centers.
Maori have been completely susceptible to the development
values, priorities and policies of the successive governments. The
most glaring example of this would be the devastating alienation
of many tribes from their traditional lands due to the never
ending need of successive governments to acquire lands for
settlement and development purposes. Now, less than 5% of the
total land mass is Maori owned and managed. 185 claims have been
lodged by Maori tribes and individuals with the Waitangi Tribunal,
the national body charged with hearing grievances arising from
non-compliance with the Treaty of Waitangi. Of the 100 claims
still outstanding, 90% of those relate to tribal/regional
environment and development issues, particularly relating to land
ownership and fisheries.
Tribal developmental initiatives are still determined by
regional and national policies. This factor along with the paucity
of accurate and current tribal statistics have made any long term
responsive and effective self-management development planning
difficult to carry out. Instead, Maori as well as the rest of the
national population have had to live with the development values
of government. While the environment has been affected by such
values, the destruction has been nowhere near as devastating as
the effect such policies have had on the Maori population.
Maori people are grossly disadvantaged socially,
economically, culturally and healthwise. This is due in part to
specific development and settlement schemes but can also be
attributed to an often violent history of colonial domination.
Maori have a lower life expectancy than other New Zealand
nationals, they have one of the highest asthma death rates in the
world, and high incidence of death due to various forms of cancer,
especially lung cancer. Maori feature prominently as the labourers
in many of our nation's development projects, and in particular
pulp and paper mills and mining, and as such have been directly
affected by negligent health and safety practices of their
employers. Likewise pollution of our lands, waters and atmosphere
caused by the very industries who employ Maori, is also a major
concern. Our socio-economic situation often leaves Maori
vulnerable.
Some of the solutions for Maori, are common to other peoples:
1 The right to self-determination.
2 The settlement of outstanding land and resource
grievances.
3 The active participation in all matters affecting
livelihood.
4 Self-management of resources.
5 Self-management of the provision of health services and
in particular health promotion.
6 Recognition and respect for traditional knowledge.
7 The provision of financial resources necessary to
implement the above.
8 Access to and participation in relevant and appropriate
education and training.
BACKGROUND ON THE NATIONAL MAORI CONGRESS
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1. The National Maori Congress was formally established on 13
July, 1990 by the United Tribes of Aotearoa New Zealand. The
geographic distribution of Congress covers the full territories,
land and sea of Aotearoa New Zealand. Congress is made up of 45
participating tribes and bodies who in turn represent some
431,000, being the Maori population of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Maori are the third largest indigenous population in the Pacific.
2. One of the major objectives of the National Maori Congress is
to provide a national forum for participating tribes to address
economic, social, cultural, environmental and political issues
within a Maori framework, and to advance a unified national Maori
position on significant policy matters both nationally and
internationally. This is achieved through regular meetings of
congress delegates (approximately 250), and through the ongoing
work of ten committees set up to focus on the development of
congress itself and to address significant issues on behalf of
congress.
3. Congress was established to be administratively financially
independent of the Crown and is therefore funded by its
constituents. Tribes and other bodies pay an annual levy to
support congress, but through its advisory work, it also contracts
for services. This provides a cash flow allowing greater autonomy
and a highly professional and coordinated approach to its work.
4. The congress committees concerned with specific issues are:
JUSTICE, EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT, HOUSING, FISHERIES, GOVERNMENT
REVIEW and INTERNATIONAL. The remaining three committees are
concerned with the administration and development of congress
itself. All committees are staffed or convened by tribal
nominated personnel and the work of all committees is referred
back to the 45 participating congress tribes, for endorsement and
further action.
YEAR OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 1993, AOTEAROA, NEW ZEALAND
NATIONAL MAORI CONGRESS: Planned International Activities
Aotearoa/New Zealand
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JANUARY 1 - 8, 1993 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES SOVEREIGNTY
VENUE: HIKURANGI, RUATORIA
CONTACT: TAMATI REEDY
P.O. Box 5236 WELLINGTON,
NEW ZEALAND
Fax: 64-4-499-1418
JUNE 13 - 17, 1993 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
INTELLECTUAL AND CULTURAL
PROPERTY OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
VENUE: KOKOHINAU MARAE TE TEKO
CONTACT: JOE MASON
P.O. Box 76 WHAKATANE,
NEW ZEALAND
Fax: 64-7-307-0762
OTHER PLANNED INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES
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FEBRUARY 3 - 7, 1993 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR
INDIGENOUS WOMEN
CONTACT: MARION ANTONIEVICH NATIONAL
SECRETARY MAORI WOMENS WELFARE
LEAGUE 24
BURNELL AVENUE,
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
Fax: 64-4-499-6802
FEBRUARY 12 - 18, 1993 INTERNATIONAL SPIRITUAL LEADERS
CONFERENCE
CONTACT: PAUL TAI
R D 6 TAUMARUNUI
AOTEAROA/NEW ZEALAND
Fax: 64-7-895-9021
MARCH 1 - 15, 1992 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM OF
WEAVERS
CONTACT: TE WAKA TOI
P.O. Box 5361
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND
Fax: 64-4-471-2865
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John Burrows: John_Burrows@freemf.eskimo.celestial.com
Fido Net 1:352/333 1-206-786-9629
Center For World Indigenous Studies
P.O. Box 82038
Kenmore, Washington 98028-0038