Rangatahi Rise! It's as easy as 1,2,3 to submit on the TPB! Did you know that anyone of any age, living anywhere in the world can make a submission to the Select Committee process underway about the Treaty Principles Bill? Which is excellent, as that is a lot more young people who can have their say!
Opening up complex conversations with our tamariki about things such as institutional racism and colonial violence may feel like one tricky topic too many to tackle, but there has never been a better time to engage with what it means to belong in Aotearoa and how we have Te Tiriti o Waitangi to thank for this. We don’t need to convince any young person who has seen the impressive drone footage of the Hīkoi Mō Te Tiriti or watched Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke’s resonating rip on repeat. This is a very ‘now’ kaupapa, this is us making history in real time. The importance of discussing these issues was captured in Aotearoa’s children’s literary magazine, The Sapling in early 2023 before the coalition government was consuming so much of our energy, and they ring even more true now;
“Morgan Godfrey (Te Pahipoto, Sāmoa) suggests that historical education enables us to “evaluate why things happened, and their continuing impact through the years”. He believes that the “chief skill of a historian is the evaluation of evidence…judging the credibility of sources they find, cross-checking and cross-referencing claims and counter-claims…in the age of misinformation, that might make history perhaps the most important form of knowledge of all.”
While we continue to work towards constitutional transformation, we have to resist and thrive within the current system of power we’ve got and it’s critical for our young ones to learn how it works and what their role is. We can see the value of civic education with the impact of the Hīkoi in strengthening the Māori seats in Parliament; in the last month, the number on the Māori roll has already increased by 3,545. For comparison, this number went up by just 59 people in all of October. Similarly, Jen reminding us to check that everyone in our whānau is currently enrolled and their details are up to date is a good one to share with a mate who struggles with life admin.
Much like facing up to difficult conversations about racism and colonialism in our workplaces and spheres of influence, talking about the Treaty Principles Bill around the dinner table with our tamariki is a courageous investment in the Tiriti-based Aotearoa of our future. It also opens up kōrero about the wider issues that this is connected to, as I have discussed in regards to Waitangi Day;
“In my whānau, we say, “let’s get comfortable with our discomfort”, as that space of tension is where growth and healing may begin. I believe that if we have access to the privileges of the colonising majority at the cost of others’ well-being, we can also endure the relative discomfort we feel while learning about their experiences. Tamariki are innately inquisitive learners and their curiosity about the world is not limited to ‘easy topics’.”
Our rangatahi and tamariki are going to be inheriting the wide-reaching consequences of the harmful legislation that has been introduced by the coalition government (ka kite smokefree generation—sob), which makes it even more critical for us to ensure that their voices are heard on this kaupapa. We don’t have to overthink it or go into all the complexities, it can be a straightforward choice to get them involved in.
“We have to remember that nobody died from a little bit of discomfort. People did actually die when they were forced off their lands at gunpoint, so we need to keep it in proportion…These stories have been carried through whānau, through hapū, across time. That conscious forgetting is the privilege of the coloniser.” Joanna Kidman, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Toa Rangatira
For anyone wanting a simple way to tautoko those making a submission to the government, we’ve created an easy 1,2,3 step process for young people through it all, starting with working out what they want to say, where to type it, how to express it and making sure that it’s submitted correctly. We’ve supported rangatahi this week in Te Tauihu who wanted to get their submissions in and it was beautiful seeing them sparking off each other, taking turns to type, share ideas and feeling excited about getting their submissions in. Our Rangatahi Rise guide is available as a free download on our website for anyone who has tamariki, mokopuna or for kaiako and those who work with rangatahi.
It includes a QR code for the Parliamentary Submissions website;
And covers how to;
Spark the kōrero, create a mind map together about what Te Tiriti o Waitangi says and why it matters.
Discuss the Bill, what will happen if it is passed.
State a position, give examples.
Make recommendations - give a call to action. Say what you want to happen.
Once our rangatahi have hit that ‘submit’ button, encourage them to;
Share a copy of your submission with your friends and family, update social media profile pic to show your support, download free graphic.
Share what you wrote with us and share this guide around too!
Tag a parent, kaiako, grandparent, child or rangatahi in our social media post to get these submissions happening! Who can you tautoko to get their submission in?
Please head to our Resources to get your copy to share these easy steps with the next generation.
We can all create ripples of change out through our communities as these mokopuna then encourage their friends and whānau to make a submission, too and ensure that Te Tiriti o Waitangi not only endures, but is honoured.
We’ve got you and you’ve got this!
