How Pākehā in not-for-profit organisations implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi

Abstract

The aims of this research are to understand what is happening in not-for-profit organisations in relation to our obligation to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and to describe some strategies Pākehā can use to implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi in our work in the not-for-profit sector.

The history of, and current circumstances affecting, the not-for-profit sector have formed a disabling context, diverting energy away from deepening relationships with local hapū (subtribe). Compounding this situation, the core texts about Te Tiriti and not-for-profit organisations are inconsistent and mainly focus on the first steps of the journey: Treaty education and self assessment.

After writing about my own experiences with Te Tiriti and working in the not-for-profit sector and comparing my stories with the stories of other Pākehā, I recorded and transcribed conversations with six anonymous Pākehā not-for-profit workers and analysed our commonalities. All participants and their organisations wanted to enact best practice, although this aspiration was challenged by many factors, including: a spectrum of understandings about Te Tiriti which often led to piecemeal attempts at power sharing; concerns about the effectiveness of self-assessment by Pākehā about our own Treaty work because of inevitable and inbuilt biases; experience of minimisation or exclusion for speaking up about Te Tiriti at work; box ticking Treaty policies; Māori employees being treated differently to other staff; and confusion between cultural expression and genuine power sharing.

Protective factors that came through in interviews included: cultural practices that were woven through organisations in a way that was beneficial and welcoming to Māori; relationships with kaumātua (elders); appropriate and emotionally engaging Treaty education; Māori governance members, Māori led research in the community, and Māori involvement in all projects; te reo (Māori language) being a commonly used language in the work place; acknowledgment of our own privilege as Pākehā; and engagement in continuous dialogue about racism.

Reflections on these issues led to recommendations for how to move forward with implementing Te Tiriti in not-for-profit organisations. These recommendations hinge on a set of actions underpinned by a set of values. Three change management strategies are also described to assist organisations with this transformation.

This research is intended to be a building block towards empowering Pākehā allies to identify practices, policies, and power structures that could be developed to transform our organisations, and embody our obligations to Te Tiriti, leading to more effective outcomes for all New Zealanders.