Hawaiian delegation stands with Māori at Waitangi gathering

A 17-member indigenous Hawaiian delegation is at Waitangi this week, standing alongside Māori leaders and communities amid growing concern over political moves affecting indigenous rights in Aotearoa New Zealand and across the Pacific.

The group, representing Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi, a Kānaka Maoli initiative for self-determination and self-governance, says its presence is a clear message of solidarity as debates continue over the interpretation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The delegation took part in a pōwhiri at Te Tii Waitangi Marae and is attending key events, including the dawn ceremony and political forums.

Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi has issued a statement calling for international attention on developments in Aotearoa, especially attempts to reinterpret Te Tiriti and weaken Māori rights.

Healani Sonoda-Pale, a spokesperson for the group, says the visit reflects shared “trials and tribulations” of colonisation and renewed pressure on indigenous people.

“We want the New Zealand government that's in control to know that Kānaka Maoli stand in solidarity with our Māori cousins and we are here to support them and we will continue to support them as they have supported us in the past,” she told PMN News.

Listen to Healani Sononda-Pale's full interview below.

Sonoda-Pale said the delegation was inspired by Māori mobilisation in recent years, including the Toitū Tiriti March, which opposed proposed changes to the principles of the treaty.

She says indigenous struggles across the Pacific are deeply connected.

“There is really, globally, a really insidious trend that's happening in these governments with right-wingers and conservative ideologies that are chipping away at all of the work and progress we have made.

“We see that same thing happening here in Aotearoa with the attacks on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the attempts to reinterpret what that treaty says.”

Sonoda-Pale says indigenous Hawaiians are facing mounting pressure under conservative leadership in the United States, particularly in education, land, and cultural institutions.

“Pulling that funding will undo the advancements we've made in creating schools for Hawaiian cultural-centred education and the Hawaiian language,” she says. “There’s also a real push for the increase of militarism in Hawai'i and the taking of more Kānaka Maoli lands.”

Political response

The delegation’s visit comes as opposition parties prepare to challenge the Government at Waitangi, with Labour and the Green Party presenting a united front on the Treaty grounds.

Speaking with William Terite on Pacific Mornings, Labour MP Tangi Utikere says Waitangi remains a time for reflection and political accountability.

“It is about partnership and unity,” he says. “The Prime Minister is going to be at the parliamentarians' pōwhiri today … he might be in for a little bit of a rough ride, and that's what some would expect given the decisions taken by this government.”

People attend the national day commemoration on the Treaty grounds to celebrate their shared history and community. Photo/tikatangata.org

Utikere, who has Cook Islands heritage, says Pacific MPs in the Labour Party are also using the week to engage with communities in Te Tai Tokerau, Northland.

For Sonoda-Pale, the presence of the Hawaiian delegation is about more than symbolism.

“It’s important for all indigenous peoples of Oceania to not just fight back, but to also stand in solidarity with each other, so that we can build a network to counter what's happening,” she says.

The delegation says its visit sends a clear message that Māori are not standing alone, and that indigenous peoples across Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa are watching closely.

Watch Tangi Utikere's full interview below.