By sheer chance, I was on a marae in the North Island of Aotearoa when the New Zealand election results were coming through last year. I was attending a gathering of Māori educators and unionists taking part in some cross-Tasman exchange, and during a meal break the television was on to witness where the chips fell.

The atmosphere among the whanau was tense. Some were over the moon that the Māori party had gained seats and felt this provided a needed sliver of hope in what was otherwise a concerning conservative turn. Many people expressed a fear of the mainstreaming agendas of the National party, the libertarian Act party and populist party New Zealand First, including what impacts these may have on Māori language and cultural practices, and, in particular, whether such a coalition government would adhere to any obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi at all.

Being an Arrernte woman from “across the ditch”, going over to Aotearoa has always been a real pleasure to me. The first time I went there – 20 years ago – I found the experience confronting, yet inspiring. Dual language use appeared to be everywhere, from street signs to cigarette packets. Pākehā spoke Māori and seemed comfortable with the use of ceremony and protocol at all events. The Māori also had their own royal family.

Coming from the enforced Australian monoculture, where there is a general public ignorance of anything Indigenous, Aotearoa comparatively had its stuff together. The young idealist in me felt perhaps it was their treaty, and the fact that the First Peoples and the Colonisers had come to the table to make this agreement, that made the difference. Something was in place to protect Māori rights (and, by extension, Pākehā inclusion) in a way that has never existed in Australia.

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