Advisory ropū say they reclaimed Māori name for Prevention of Family and Sexual Violence agency
Article by Karanama Ruru | Stuff NZ
Chhour cited the decision to drop the reo Māori name due to a need for greater inclusivity, and that former board members asked for the gifted name to be returned.
ROBERT KITCHIN / THE POST
A Māori ministerial advisory group says they reclaimed the reo Māori name of the agency overseeing New Zealand’s response to family and sexual violence, due to a breach of Te Tiriti and their partnership with the Government.
Minister for the Prevention of Family Violence and Sexual Violence Karen Chhour said on Friday the agency overseeing the work, Te Puna Aonui, will instead use its legal title: the Executive Board for the Elimination of Family Violence and Sexual Violence.
Chhour cited the decision to drop the reo Māori name due to a need for greater inclusivity, and that former board members asked for the gifted name to be returned.
The decision comes alongside plans to replace the existing Māori-only Ministerial Advisory Board with a new, multi-cultural advisory group.
However Te Pūkotahitanga - an independent Māori ministerial advisory group that provided advice to the New Zealand government on the elimination of family violence and sexual violence, says the name was reclaimed, not dropped as the Minister suggested.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Te Pūkotahitanga Co-Chairpeople Poata Watene and Amokura Panoho said there had been a breach in their relationship. The ropū wrote to Chhour advising their intent to reclaim the name.
Amokura Panoho, co-chair of Te Pūkotahitanga
“It was a courtesy on our part to advise the Minister the day before, given that we thought there had been a breach in the relationship and the partnership that had been agreed on, that we were taking back and reclaiming the mana of that kaupapa,” Panoho said.
“If you think about it in terms of this coalition government, there was a breach to their arrangements, their partnership, there would definitely be a reaction and response to that.”
“From a mana perspective, it was important that they recognise what that breach meant from a kaupapa point of view.”
The three-year term of Te Pūkotahitanga has come to an end with no support or funding to continue the group.
Find the article here.