NGĀ MAIA

midwifery partnership and te Tiriti o Waitangi

Over 5000 years ago, people began moving out of South China down into Asian archipelago, thus beginning a migration of peoples to the distant islands of the South Pacific, including Aotearoa (Anderson, 2016).

JEAN TE HUIA CE NGĀ MAIA

Beyond the appreciation of historians, Māori have their own stories, their own mōteatea, their own soul-searching narratives, about who we are, and how we have always been here in Aotearoa, in complete contrast to the romantic notions of navigational opportunity.

Crown relations with Māori assertion of tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) over their kāinga (homes) and taonga (tamariki and pēpi) have recently been tested by the Waitangi Tribunal. Oranga Tamariki and the taking of newborn pēpi have been found to be in breach of Article 2 of te Tiriti o Waitangi. What has this got to do with midwifery, some would ask? The principle of social justice recognises the injustices - the effects of colonisation on Māori – resulting in disconnection from tribal lands, traditional family structures, and the realities associated with the loss of these connections/relationships and an ongoing dismissal by many of te Tiriti, that determines the Crown’s obligations to Māori.

It is a sad reality that over the past six years, an annual average of 265 babies under the age of three months have been taken into state custody, with an annual average of 171 of those uplifts being pēpi Māori (Office of the Children’s Commissioner, 2020). The taking of newborn babies at birth violates the UN (United Nations) Convention on The Rights of Children and the Convention on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. All children have a right to be raised by their parents.

The act of taking newborn babies in Aotearoa has been defined by the Waitangi Tribunal and three independent reviews (Boshier, 2020; Kaiwai, Allport, Herd et al. 2020; Office of the Children’s Commissioner 2020a & 2020b;) as inhuman, incomprehensible and in complete contrast to the Crown’s obligations to Māori under te Tiriti o Waitangi and in many instances, the uplifts were found to be unwarranted.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi, as the founding document of Aotearoa, sets out the principles of engagement and the practical application of the principles of te Tiriti with Māori. The principles of te Tiriti are the underlying mutual obligations and responsibilities placed on various parties, including New Zealand health professionals, who are also bound by the Health and Disability Act 1994 and The Code of Ethics.

The principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi are applied as a living document, including to circumstances not foreseen when te Tiriti was signed in 1840 between Māori and the Crown. Our role as midwives is to uphold the principles of te Tiriti o Waitangi and in doing so, uphold the midwifery partnership.

How do we as midwives, start the dialogue, and begin our discussions to work together as midwifery colleagues, and as midwives in Aotearoa working with Māori, to uphold the midwifery partnership within a te Tiriti partnership? square

References available on request.