Te Tiriti/Treaty relationships approach recognises the place of both Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti in Māngere. Te Tiriti/Treaty includes us all and expresses important things about our relationships together. It forms the base of our approach to our work.
In Māngere we value our worldviews as an important part of our identities as people. As we own our health we will lead from the perspective of who we are, Tangata Whenua and Tangata Tiriti together, in this place we call home.
We use the Tiriti/Treaty relationships approach to improve the power position of individuals and groups in the community. Te Tiriti/Treaty of Waitangi relationship framework means we can express ourselves across the whole of Māngere. It includes our very diverse parts. Within such a framework the interests of Tangata Whenua and the diverse Tangata Tiriti interests can be worked on collectively while maintaining the essential integrity of those interests.
Tangata Whenua is the general term for Māori people. This includes three groups. One is Mana Whenua, people tied culturally to the area by ancestors who lived and died here. Another group are Taura Here who live in the area, but belong to tribes from other parts of Aotearoa/New Zealand. The third group are urban Māori who through choice or loss live outside tribal structures.
The Tangata Whenua acknowledge that Mana Whenua exercise mana whenuatanga (the rights and responsibilities that go with being Mana Whenua). The relationships we develop on our marae and in the community express our culture, tikanga and principles in ways that sustain us. (Tikanga means the Māori way of doing things, including customs and protocols, values and lore.) We have leadership responsibilities that we exercise for the good of all.
The key aspiration of the Tangata Whenua is to provide leadership and participate in decision making. Tangata Whenua say: “We want to be involved in areas that affect the development and delivery of health services and wellness initiatives for the whole community.
We work in ways that bring balance and an ability to include people through:
Follow this link to read about Mana Whenua
Follow this link to read about the MICH Tangata Whenua members
Tangata Tiriti are people whose right to belong in this country and to the land is by virtue of the Tiriti/Treaty of Waitangi. Tangata Tiriti say: “We also come with proud cultural traditions that are important to state and preserve in the way we own our health. Tangata Tiriti communities want to participate in the development of community level healthcare alongside Tangata Whenua.”
The key aspirations of Tangata Tiriti are summarised by the common themes running through the discussions of the various communities. The themes are:
Follow this link to read about the MICH Tangata Tiriti members
Many Tangata Tiriti communities have drawn up a statement (or declaration) of their specific aspirations for health and wellness. Tangata Whenua have done the same and included an additional reflection on its community-wide responsibilities that arise from traditional cultural obligations from a Māori perspective. All the declarations stand alone.