John Malcolm, Esther Cowley-Malcolm, Anne and David Wicks
on behalf of Whakatāne Quakers

We are a group of Quakers (also known as Friends) in Whakatāne. We are members of The Religious Society of Friends of Aotearoa, Te Hāhi Tūhauwiri. Our discussions recently have been focused on what we see as our duty as Whakatāne Friends to Te Tiriti/The Treaty of Waitangi and the debate about the Government’s Treaty Principles Bill.

We have been moved to raise our voice because of our concerns and the misalignment of this bill to our beliefs as Quakers.

Within our faith we have peace, social justice, and non-violent principles – a strong basis for us to consider this bill as not within the spirit of our faith nor that of unity for tāngata tiriti and tāngata whenua.

Quakers are well known for their commitment to creating peaceful communities and social justice for all. We believe there is God/good in everyone.

We also believe that Māori have a special place in Aotearoa as tāngata whenua and welcomed tāngata tiriti to these shores under the mantle of our founding document Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Quakers have a history of being honest businesspeople and activists in social justice and environmental issues, hence their significant influence in the formation of Barclays Bank, Cadburys, Oxfam, Greenpeace, Amnesty International, activists in the American civil rights movement, anti-war protests and the abolition of slavery.

The authors of the 1987 Treaty of Waitangi Principles included legal experts. They did a robust and rigorous analysis and created the principles as experts in law and treaties. Those principles do not require another re-write.

In 2024, Quakers took part in the hikoi as Treaty partners supporting Te Tiriti and Māori aspirations.  

We have heard from the series of hui that Kingi Tuheitia initiated that the call for kotahitanga has resonated.

Reports from the hui stated many Māori do not want a separate parliament but would like to have their own assembly to identify steps to build and develop their communities.

This must be a good thing for all people living in New Zealand as the statistics clearly show that equity is not apparent in our society today.

Equity means recognising that people should be treated fairly and justly. Not everyone starts from the same place. It is different from equality, which is providing the same to everyone.

New Zealanders have for years supported the concepts of a fair go, a handup rather than a handout; a concept which has both biblical and political roots – to each according to their needs and from each according to their means.

What is needed today is to ensure Te Tiriti and these principles are understood by every New Zealander and to go forward “in unity” to ensure we honour Te Tiriti and act on these principles.

Making a submission to the select committee would show support and say no to The Treaty Principles Bill 2024. We can all walk together with Te Tiriti.

More about Quakers and contact details for the Whakatāne Worship group can be found at quakers.nz.