Principle 1: Treaty-based relationships with Tangata Whenua are a priority

Rationale

All Agencies working in SVPP and SVP commit to Te Tiriti o Waitangi as the founding document for relationships between Tangata Whenua within Aotearoa New Zealand and Tauiwi. Tauiwi actively work to become honourable Te Tiriti partners through the commitment to sharing power, resources, decision- making processes and in the framing of policies and plans.

Principle 1 in Action

Commitment to this principle at the individual level for Tauiwi may be demonstrated by:

  • learning about the history of Aotearoa, the impact of colonisation[1] and Te Tiriti o Waitangi

  • learning Te Reo and using correct pronunciation

  • un-packing white privilege as an important journey for developing skills and knowledge to become a trustworthy ally in the decolonisation of this nation

  • reading widely and building professional relationships with Māori to develop the understanding that if whānau violence interventions continue to be delivered from western concepts and practice frameworks that isolate, criminalise, and pathologise Māori individuals - nothing will change[2]

  • valuing indigenous research methodologies

  • embracing a willingness to learn and engage with Māori cultural paradigms, stories, histories and understandings of spirituality and wellbeing


Commitment to this principle at the organisational level for Tauiwi may be demonstrated by:

  • ensuring that the commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi is endorsed at all levels of the organisation and embedded in its policies and practices

  • ensuring that Te Tiriti o Waitangi policies reflect Tauiwi willingness to address the ongoing impacts of colonisation through

    • building and maintaining effective relationships with local Iwi and Hapū by sharing resources, joint planning, collaborating and communicating around SVPP and SVP initiatives

    • making referrals to Kaupapa Māori SVPP and SVP services when a community with high Māori population wants to engage with this work

  • supporting staff to access Te Reo courses and Te Tiriti o Waitangi training

  • including information about local Iwi and Hapū, as well as expectations of kawa and tikanga, in staff induction

  • ensuring adequate cultural training and supervision is available for Māori and Tauiwi staff

  • advocating for adequate resources for the development of SVPP and SVP services

  1. [1] Le Grice reflects when working to reduce any form of sexual or interpersonal violence we need also to work towards reducing the socioeconomic disparities that exist between indigenous and settler peoples, through the cumulative experience of intergenerational trauma, and ongoing interpersonal and structural racism that colonisation has caused

    [2]TOAH-NNEST NKM Primary Prevention Programme, 2015

practice examples

  • An example of successful treaty-based partnership is the two whare, or houses, structure of  TOAH-NNEST. The two whare are Ngā Kaitiaki Mauri and Tauiwi Caucus. The structure enables Ngā Kaitiaki Mauri (the Tangata Whenua whare) to operate within a Māori worldview and pursue their aspirations.

 

“When I first started in the sector I was working in an organisation that required me to learn my pepeha. Initially I found this hugely problematic as so many in my family had caused me physical and sexual harm. I was committed to being respectful, so I learnt it. From my pākehā world view I would have found it easy to dismiss my family for ever. Going through this process has helped me learn that my family will always be my family. The not being allowed to dismiss them in Te Ao Māori shifted my way of interacting with them and some relationships started to heal. This has helped me find my own ways of engaging with them and some relationships have been restored. This has shaped my belief that what is good for Māori is good for all of us." (Female SVPP worker).

Tools and Reccommendations for Further Development