A Pākēhā in te ao Māori. Do I belong here?

Who am I to work on Treaty of Waitangi issues and projects intersecting with te ao Māori?

This is a question I've been asking myself over the last few years as my research and policy consulting work has taken me into these spaces.

Here I go. I'm going to be brave and open. I write from the heart and directly from my experience.

I am Pākēhā. I am Tangata Tiriti. I want to help make meaningful change toward equality in New Zealand. I want to help make meaningful change toward recognising and celebrating tangata whenua and all the cultures we have here, and toward improving the relations between them. But I also don't want to do the wrong thing or appropriate or occupy the wrong spaces.

This is a challenge to say the least. There are equal amounts of good intention and discomfort in this place of reflection.

First up, there's no doubt I have experience in this area.

• I carried out research consulting work for a client in Australia who was supporting an aboriginal group in land ownership negotiations, providing them with a case study of an analogous settlement situation here and connecting indigenous leaders on both sides of the Tasman.
• At Manatū Mō Te Taiao - the Ministry for the Environment I worked on changes to the Resource Management Act to increase Māori involvement in environmental management processes, including the establishment of Mana Whakahono ā Rohe: Iwi participation arrangements.
• At Te Puni Kōkiri - the Ministry of Māori Development?I worked on developing a framework to measure the impact of a Māori education strategy, and on research case studies for how the public sector can work more effectively with Māori organisations.
• At Te Papa Atawhai - the Department of Conservation I worked on reviews to the conservation and national parks general policies to make Treaty responsibilities more visible.
• At the Wellington Regional Leadership Committee (WRLC) I am currently working with Mana Whenua and the WRLC team on the development of a Statement of iwi and hapū values and aspirations for urban development, a requirement of Future Development Strategies under the National Policy Statement for Urban Development.

So yeah. I've done a bunch of stuff. 'Why the discomfort?', you ask.

Is there a place for me here? Can I add value?

My te reo is actually pretty basic. If I'm honest I cannot recite the articles of the Treaty by heart without looking them up. And as far as tikanga goes, I feel my knowledge is pretty 101.

But, and this is a big BUT.

• I can introduce myself in te reo at the drop of a hat.
• If I don't know the kupu or the Treaty article or the principle or the tikanga or the whakatauki and it's relevant I will ask or find out.
• I recognise and acknowledge discrimination, colonisation, racism, inequality inherent in our history and our present in New Zealand.
• I recognise, acknowledge, value and learn about mātauranga Māori and te reo Māori me ngā tikanga.

I think that's what sets me apart. I think that's what earns me the privilege of a place at the table. I'll step into that space where others will not out of fear, or ignorance, or prejudice.

I'm not perfect and I make mistakes and I have so much to learn. I've felt very welcome and very unwelcome engaging in te ao Māori. I've felt my presence and approach challenged and yet I've also felt overwhelmingly accepted.

I recognise my privilege and I try to use that along with my skills and experience to understand and influence and support and, when it's right, to get out of the way.

You know what? Māori culture is beautiful and confronting and deep and amazing. The Treaty is effectively our constitution. The impacts of colonisation are very real. There is inequality everywhere in our society. And if you know how to share, like at all, you should be encouraging of co-governance and sharing or returning decision-making roles.

So maybe the real question is why wouldn't I work on Treaty of Waitangi issues and projects intersecting with te ao Māori? I'm not a Treaty expert. I'm not a Te Ao Māori expert. But I'm a space holder, and an influencer, and a supporter and an enabler. I'm not in te Ao Māori. But in some of my work projects I help to bridge the spaces between te Ao Māori and the Pākēhā world.

I am a person of Aotearoa. And that, I think, is the right place for me.