Whaainga Wahine Hui, Hauraki 2010 - Images

Images from Whaainga Wahine Hui 2010 

Deidre Nehua, Sharon Venn (Cree Nation) Mereana Pitman, Te Ao Pritchard, Tuhipo Kereopa

Deidre Nehua

"Nana told us that the building blocks of our whakapapa were built on the sounds of birthing. When the Christians learnt of  this they began to learn our reo was ‘a e I o u’ as it was ‘IO’ but the Christians did not accept that a culture could be derived from ‘IO’.  Our atua became male when Christians arrived; however they were genderless not tane only; the atua moved into tane roles and wahine roles when required.  We need to reclaim our rangatiratanga over our spirituality"

Sharon Venn, (Former Chair of the Indigenous Caucus, who drafted the original Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples) Critical analysis of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNdRIP)

"The charter is there for nations but it was changed to ‘the charter of the united nations…assumed by the states…”

"affirming that indigenous peoples contribute to the diversity and richness of civilizations and cultures, which constitute the common heritage of humans’…however the ‘humans’ aspect have been removed.  These are some of the crucial failings of the UNdRIP of which New Zealand has signed, it is far removed from the original intent of which many peoples, spent many years advocating.  It is a poor replica of what the indigenous peoples have dreamt and fought for for many years.  It is my belief that it should Nations should remove support for it immediately"

Helen Te Hira

My work with working people and working poor, of which the majority are not in Unions, are that our women will organise themselves as being in unions.  Organisation is important when trying to engage in change, so working with your community is crucial to learn and grow and create change.  What I'd like us to consider is how do women keep healthy and political, it is this energy that politicises both men and women.  And it is crucial that women are politicised and participating at all levels because we can bring a perspective that is grounded in our values, whānau, tamariki, whenua, taking care of the whenua.

Noho Korero 

Mereana Pitman 

"Runanga are all constructs of the crown; I’m concerned with redefining us by the crown i.e. iwi organisations are crown; and the marginalization of hapu. Economic sovereignty has become the primary belief to achieving tino rangatiratanga and the basis for political control"

(Right) Professor Karina Walters, of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma from Great Turtle Island who spoke about historical trauma, the creation of lateral violence and the impact on  Indigenous Women.