Time to define who is a Maori today?

The Government must revoke all previous Acts defining a Maori.

Maori today is a new race of people created by Government in Acts of Parliament, the first one passed in 1865. It became obvious in 1865 that many Natives had intermarried with people from other lands, and therefore, could no longer be defined as a Native of New Zealand. The Government passed an Act of Parliament, The Native Lands Act of 1865 defined a Maori as, “an Aboriginal Native and shall include all half‑castes and their   descendants by Natives”.

This Act created a new race of people called “Maori”. Since this time, Maori have continued to intermarry of their own free will and their ancestry has further diluted, forcing Governments to amend the Act many times over. The reason to create this new race of people cannot be blamed on the Government or non‑Maori, but on their ancestors who chose to inter‑marry of their own free will with other races.

The Electoral Amendment Act 1975 defines a Maori as, “a person of the Maori race and includes any descendant of such a person who elects to be considered a Maori for the purposes of the Electoral Act”.

Today most Maori are so far removed from the Native race of 1840, it would be impossible, except through the Acts, to say they were the people who signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. The Hon lan Peters, the M.P. for Tongariro 1990/93 stated, “It is only common sense that we should not have a person with less than 50% of Aboriginal blood, expecting all the rights and privileges that were promised or guaranteed in the Treaty of Waitangi, over his fellow New Zealanders“. Today, most people claiming to be Maori would have far less than 50% Aboriginal blood.

While the 1975 Electoral Amendment Act defines a Maori as, “a person of the Maori race and includes any descendant of such a person who considers to be a Maori”, this Act was passed 50 years or 3 generations ago and since then, Maori have continued to intermarry of the own free will with other race until today, it’s ridiculous for them to still be defined as the people who signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Past Race Relations Conciliator, John Clark of Maori descent wrote, “Maori today are people with Maori ancestry that one sees in legislation”.

It’s also a fact; Maori are not the tangata whenua or the indigenous people of New Zealand; their ancestors arrived in New Zealand by canoe in the 14^th century. This was confirmed by, Emeritus Professor Ranginui Walker, past Head of Maori Studies at the Auckland University when he stated in the 1986 New Zealand Yearbook, page 18, “The traditions are quite clear on one point, whenever crew disembarked there were already tangata whenua living in New Zealand”.

It is also a fact, the Government does not have a definition of the Indigenous People of New Zealand, but Prime Minister Hon John Key allowed the Hon Peter Sharples to travel to New York in 2010 and sign the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous People. Maori are not the Indigenous People of New Zealand.

Today’s Maori are not the tangata whenua or the people who signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. They are New Zealand Citizens, who in most cases, can only claim a minute trace of Maori ancestry. The majority of their ancestry, mainly European, are the people they claim created the injustices they are claiming against today.  How can they claim against themselves?

It’s time the Government woke up, Maori today are not the race of people who signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, they are people pretending to be the people who signed the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.

The Government must revoke all previous Acts defining a Maori with One Act; The 2025 New Zealand Citizens Act; “All people born in New Zealand are New Zealand Citizens”.

Prepared by the On New Zealand Foundation. Est: 1988. (Copyright). 29/10/23.

Website: www.onenzfoundation.co.nz. Email: onzf@bigpond.com.au.