In New Zealand the Maoris write to Charles III: "Help with the government"

In the context of heated political tensions with the New Zealand government, the Maori tribes ask King Charles III for help in an open letter, published in the Guardian. In the unusual missive, representatives of more than 80 Maori tribes made a rare appeal to the British sovereign, urging his direct intervention in New Zealand politics, to “ensure that the government does not diminish the honor of the crown”.

The subject of the dispute is the Wellington government’s policies regarding the Maori and the worsening of relations between the indigenous peoples and the authorities in power.
The National Iwi Chairs Forum, a collective of tribal leaders, refers to what they believe are ongoing breaches of crown promises made to Māori in the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document.

Since taking office last year, the political leadership of New Zealand’s right-wing coalition government has sparked the largest-ever protest against Maori rights, mass meetings of their leaders and the condemnation of the Waitangi Tribunal, an institution that investigates violations of the Treaty of Waitangi. The treaty is an agreement signed in 1840 between over 500 Maori chiefs and the British Crown and is fundamental to upholding the rights of the tribes. The letter to King Charles III is was signed by over 500 people, including tribal leaders, representatives of Māori organizations and others.

The rationale behind many of the government’s proposals is to end “race-based” policies, tackle crime and reduce bureaucracy, he told the Guardian the chairman of the Ngati Wai tribe and chair of one of the forum groups, Aperahama Edwards, stressing that Maori are tired of their concerns not being heard.

While the coalition government promises to work for their groups too, critics fear its policies are undermining Māori rights. Among the most controversial measures is the withdrawal of the use of the Maori language in public services, the dismantling of an institution designed to remedy health inequalities and the introduction of a controversial bill that seeks to fundamentally change the way the treaty is interpreted.

Maori make up 20% of New Zealand’s population, but the statistics for them are very poor in terms of health, property ownership, employment rates, education and number of prisoners.

The two-page letter begins with an acknowledgment of the king’s relationship with the late Māori king Tuheitia and with the hope that the relationship will continue to thrive under the new Māori queen, Nga wai hono i te po. Refers to the negotiations of Queen Victoria with Maori chiefs to establish the treaty in 1840 and to the crown’s breaches of those promises in subsequent years.

The letter then quotes the speech given by the King at the meeting of the Heads of Government of Commonwealth in 2022, in which he discussed the need to “create a common future that benefits all our citizens” and “find new ways to recognize our past” and asked the King for help. “We believe that his concerns and influence on environmental and social justice can play a crucial role in reminding the government of the importance of respecting the sacred agreements of the (treaty),” insisted Edwards.