Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
A group of iwi leaders will meet Polynesian leaders
ahead of the Pacific Forum in Rarotonga next week.
Tuku Morgan, who was appointed by King Tuheitia
as political spokesperson for the Kingitanga
is one of those leaders, and he joins me now.
Before we talk about your meeting in Rarotonga,
what is your new role and who do you represent?
I'm the King's representative
regarding issues that are currently
being taken to the Government.
The King spoke about water rights yesterday
in his speech at Turangawaewae
ahead of the Waitangi Tribunal report due out on Friday.
What do you expect the Tribunal to say?
Just so that everyone is clear, the King is urging people to unite.
So regardless of the Tribunal's final report,
we need to be united.
You've been in negotiations with the Crown for some time now.
Does the Maori Council claim support or hinder those talks?
There's only one thing to say - we need to unite.
Our water rights in lakes, river, streams etc -
we need to stand strong and fight.
Are you working with the Maori Council?
We must. There's nothing beyond a united front.
What do you hope to achieve in Rarotonga?
This is a first for us - Mark Solomon, Herewini Parata and I -
to take our people's matters
and present to the eight leaders of Polynesia.
These are the lands of Polynesia,
and we have long been missing from these gatherings.
So it's to take our goals and aspirations there to work together
with the rest of Polynesia in the spirit of interrelatedness.
It's what we need to do.
This meeting with Polynesian leaders
prior to the Pacific Forum - what are the details for that?
The Samoan Prime Minister wanted Maori to have a seat at the table.
So within that group of leaders,
we need to outline the part we play in our oceans and fisheries,
as well as our business nous and all those things.
Maori have long been pushing our interests in this country
so we have examples and skills to help our Pacific relations.
That's the goal, for us all to work together.
Tuku Morgan, thank you for joining us.