The national president of Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko i te Ora (the Māori Women’s Welfare League) will meet some of Taranaki’s most influential Māori women when she visits Waitara this weekend.
The Saturday gathering was a chance for Dr Hope Tupara to meet branch members and the women of Taranaki, and also to thank them for their service to their community, Aotea regional president Wiki Michalanney said.
The hui at Owae Marae will begin with a pōwhiri.
“It is to acknowledge the Māori women working in governance and running the iwi in Taranaki, acknowledge what they are doing for their community and for us as women, we often don’t thank each other enough,” she said.
But with growing concern among Māori about the coalition government’s plans, equality and the Treaty, she expected some robust conversations.
“It’s quite timely for her to meet these women [who are] in these positions that can influence. I would suspect that she will try to make our voices be heard,” Michalanney said.
The comments follow a media release from the League on Friday in response to the new Government’s statements on the Treaty of Waitangi.
In the statement, it said the organisation was taking a stand “to front foot the conversations that demand attention” and was ready to hold Ministers accountable for the impact of their actions.
“We will not silently watch our progress erode. We have a duty to hold to account the Ministers responsible for shaping the future for us all, and we do not intend to go backwards,” Dr Tupara said in the statement.
“We raise our voices to amplify our worry. We live and breathe the challenges faced by our community because we are a part of the community.”
With a membership of approximately 3000, the League, which was founded in 1951, has advocated on issues such as housing, education, health, justice, Māori language, and Māori Arts, and contributed to the direction of government policies across time.
“These legacy issues and Te Tiriti will remain at the forefront of the Māori Women’s Welfare League advocacy efforts, ensuring that the voices of the Māori community are heard equally and acted upon equally.”
In May, the League, along with the National Iwi Chairs Forum and the New Zealand Māori Council, declared their support for co-governance and called on the then government to actively promote co-governance.
On Tuesday, thousands of protesters took to roads around the country to show opposition to what they claimed was the new Government’s stance to undo a raft of policies related to Te Ao Māori.
In New Plymouth, commuters beeped their horns in support of hundreds of protesters lining sections of Courtenay and Leach streets in central New Plymouth.