Our engagement with Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi
With your basket and my basket we will sustain the people

Inspiring Communities is committed to a Treaty honouring Aotearoa where people actively participate in shaping their communities.  Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a foundation for sharing power between tāngata whenua and tāngata Tiriti (all others who have come here) to sustain just and vibrant communities.

We champion ‘place’ within the context of Aotearoa and recognise te tino rangatiratanga of hapū as expressed in
He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nu Tireni (the 1835 Declaration of Independence) and affirmed in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.  Self-determined processes for whānau/hapū /iwi are at the heart of flourishing wider communities.

As a small, tāngata Tiriti organisation with a national focus, our intentions are aspirational and realistic. Our Treaty commitment is reflected conceptually, structurally and practically. We do this in the following ways:

Conceptually – the framing of ideas which inform our work

We develop CLD theory that is contextualised to Aotearoa and reflects the centrality of tāngata whenua to ‘place.’ We do this through applying a Treaty lens (see below) to our core conceptual work. We acknowledge our position as tāngata Tiriti and engage with Te Ao Māori to shape our work.

Structurally – Māori decision-making power and influence on our work

We are intentional in seeking input and involvement from Māori at strategic and operational levels. As an enabler at the local community level, we actively promote and support positive engagement with whānau/hapū/iwi. Work with tāngata whenua is built on recognition of self-determination.

Practically – the work we undertake and our ways of working

Our work strengthens the capacity of communities to contribute to a Treaty honouring Aotearoa.  We are developing our internal capability to work effectively with tāngata whenua.

Applying a Treaty lens

We understand the commitments made in Te Tiriti o Waitangi as being critical to the context of CLD in Aotearoa. Therefore, we apply a Treaty lens to our CLD work. The following questions guide us in this:

• What does the concept/initiative/project look like using a Treaty lens?
• Who is shaping this work and what perspectives does it reflect?
• How is this work grounded in an understanding of tāngata whenua relationships to place?
• How does this work affirm and support te tino rangatiratanga?

Here is a tool for working with Tangata Whenua.

Here are some useful Te Reo resources.