Any attention this list may be able to give to the following
request will be appreciated:
Kia ora koutou
I send you all respectful greetings from my people of the land of Hauraki in
Aotearoa ( New Zealand). I greet you once, I greet you twice, I greet you
three times. I acknowledge the spirits of our ancestors who have departed
this world to tread the pathway back to the great spirit. To those of us
who still live in this the world of much confusion, heartache and turmoil,
I greet you all again a thousand fold.
My name is Denise Messiter and I am a Maori woman from the land of Aotearoa
maybe better known to some of you as New Zealand.
I come from a place called Hauraki which is in the North Island of our land.
It is a coastal and rural place.
The reason that I am sending you all this message is that I and another
Maori woman from Hauraki would like to visit with some of the first nations
people from your great island.
I and Josie work for our own peoples organisations so we are not a
government organisation. I am the General Manager for a Maori health
service and Josie is the Chief Executive Office for our Trust Board. Both
of these organisations were established out of our peoples stated need to
reclaim our Tino Rangatiratanga (Sovereignity). There are 12 tribes that
come from Hauraki and we also have other tribal peoples that live here too.
The area of work that myself and Josie work in are Treaty Rights, Land
Claims, Mineral Rights, Fishing Rights, Forestry Rights, Health Rights and a
whole lot of other areas that you are all most probably working in.
As I said earlier we would like to visit with some first nations peoples
organisations from your land who would welcome a visit from us. Why you may
all ask do we want to visit with you? We would like to visit with you as we
have heard so much about what is happening to your peoples and we believe
that is being able to visit with some of your first nations peoples we maybe
able to beat the whites at their game. This has become even more important
for us of late as the government over here is introducing health, social and
economic strategies that they have imported from the white government in
your peoples land. While the government over here is not able to transport
the total white American dream into our land, they sure have imported what
they feel comfortable with and the parts that ensure they can grab more of
our resources. This white American way is new to us and while we are able
to anticipate what it may all mean we also hear that some of the things that
the white government in America is doing is of benefit to your peoples.
Mind you we have not heard that from your people.
Anyway my brothers and sisters we were hoping that if it is acceptable to
you that we would be able to visit with some of your peoples in late
July/August of this year.
I would appreciate it if any one of you who gets this message is able to
send to me contact names, addresses, telephone and fax numbers or email
addresses of first nations people organisations or persons from your areas
that would welcome a visit from us in July or August of this year. We are
particularly interested in visiting with those of your people who have had
their lands, forests, minerals, water and other treasures returned to them
as a result of treaty rights or those of your people who are in the process
of making treaty claims. We are also interested in visiting with first
nations peoples health organisations as well as the government over here is
considering introducing a health purchasing concept called managed care
which we understand is how the government of America operates the health
system over there.
Well my brothers and sisters from the great island I hope that this message
is received in the spirit in which it is written and that it finds you all
in good health and spirit.
I look forward to receiving replies to my request.
May the great spirit guide and watch over you all.
Naku iti noa
Na, Denise