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This kōrero from Tamati Coffey (while an incredibly poor take) is also a perfect example of the complex and ongoing effects of colonisation on Māori (1/15)
One of the key goals for colonisers was for Māori to be either assimilated into Pākehā society, or integrated (meaning some Māori culture is maintained and weaved into Western customs) (2/15)
This is achieved by the framing of Pākehā/Western culture as the default (also known as Eurocentrism). Those that differ from this status quo (like maybe an outspoken Māori man wearing a hei tiki) are now rebels, ‘stirring up trouble’, simply because they do not conform. (3/15)
The rule that MPs must dress in business attire (i.e. ties) is an example of this colonial legacy. It isn’t ‘just the rules’, it’s an ongoing historical narrative that prioritises Western values and frames tikanga Māori as different. (4/15)
Now back to integration and assimilation. The integration of Māori and Pākehā cultures (for example perhaps wearing a pounamu AND a tie) was a key goal of early 20th century colonisers (5/15)
and it was viewed by some as a stepping stone to full assimilation, where Māori culture is left behind in the name of ‘progress’. (6/15)
Now I’m not saying integration of Māori and Pākehā cultures is always negative. Multiculturalism is a beautiful thing and tīkanga are always evolving to allow Māori to continue our traditions in modern society. (7/15)
HOWEVER it is important to note that integration was an intentional move in the colonisation of Māori. (8/15)
So why does this matter? Rāwiri Waititi, while asserting his right to wear hei tiki and flout the tie rules, is also protesting against the assimilation tactics used to maintain the status quo. (9/15)
Tamati, in contrast, is acting in accordance with the Pākehā rules in order to do what he feels is best to serve Māori. (10/15)
This is the type of Māori that liberal Pākehā praise. He is advancing Māori rights by bringing history into schools, making Matariki a public holiday, passing Māori wards legislation, and he isn’t doing so in a way which threatens the comfortable seat on which Pākehā sit (11/15)
Rāwiri, in contrast, is seen as a troublemaker, an angry Māori, making too much of a fuss when there are more pressing issues present. In reality his decision to wear a taonga which asserts his mana motuhake shouldn’t have created the slightest of fusses. (12/15)
The main difference here is that Rāwiri is challenging the status quo which places Pākehā in a perpetually superior position. (13/15)
This is the same status quo which confiscated land from tangata whenua, which created the wealth gap between Māori and Pākehā, and which continues to contribute to inequalities in health, wellbeing, employment and opportunities for Māori. (14/15)
Change for oppressed peoples has never been achieved by sitting complacently and politely asking for a seat at the table. It is achieved by continually challenging oppressive systems and in this case, being unapologetically Māori. (15/15)
