Adults in room must take responsibility
Oral submission to Justice Committee
For the record, to go alongside my written submission, https://ganeshnana.substack.com/p/this-repulsive-bill, my oral submission opening statement follows.
Tēnā koutou katoa.
Tēnā koutou te inanahi, te ināianei, me te āpōpō.
Ko tenei taku mihi ngā tangata whenua or te rohe nei.
E ngā iwi, e ngā mana, e ngā reo, e rau Rangatira ma.
Ko Ganesh Ahirao tōku ingoa.
I am a first generation New Zealander born in Aotearoa, to parents who immigrated here as young newly-weds from India many decades ago. I am proudly Tangata Tiriti.
I thank the Committee for the opportunity to be heard. I also wish to acknowledge and mihi to the many tens and hundreds of thousands who will not get such an opportunity. I feel privileged in this opportunity and feel their weight on my shoulders, but also their wairua in support of and lifting me in this kaupapa.
In addition to my written submission, I wish to emphasise that this Bill is not – and should not be treated by this Committee – as any ordinary Bill. It requires more than standard processing. Your task is so much more than that.
This thoroughly repulsive Bill is yet another disingenuous act of total disregard and disrespect for the status and mana of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. And this has caused considerable hurt and harm to Māori. It has magnified, emboldened, normalised, and legitimised racist thinking, actions, attitudes, and understandings that has hurt and harmed all in Aotearoa – Tangata Tiriti and Tangata Whenua.
I acknowledge that several leaders have said that this Bill will not proceed beyond this Committee stage. That may be so, but that is wholly and totally insufficient. The hurt and the harm has already occurred and is continuing to occur. That hurt and harm - and the disregard and disrespect - must be acknowledged, recognised, and corrected.
As listed in my submission, there must be a formal apology from the House that this repulsive Bill ever got introduced in the first place. And there must be concerted and genuine efforts to repair the bridge between Maori and the Crown.
While there may be leaders in this room who are comfortable with the Bill just being voted down, I am waiting for the adults in the room to stand up and take responsibility. Sadly, I find myself asking if there actually are any adults in the room (or in the House)?
I strongly urge this Committee to see themselves as – and act as – the adults in the room.
