Ihumātao and just relationships
Not so long ago, many New Zealanders had no idea Ihumātao existed, despite the fact it is home to Auckland International Airport. They knew nothing of its significance as the landing place centuries ago of the revered tupuna Hape, who arrived on the back of Kaiwhare (a stingray) from Hawaiki, ahead of the Tainui Waka.
Nor were they aware of its status as an exceptional cultural heritage landscape, or as a site of successive Crown breaches of Te Tiriti o Waitangi that wrought intergenerational trauma and displacement. The legacy of ahi kā kaitiakitanga and of resistance was also shrouded.
But the high-profile campaign #ProtectIhumātao, founded by six cousins from Makaurau Marae at the heart of the papākainga, increased public awareness. Strategic action led by ahi kā (the ones who keep the home fires burning), permanently etched its peaceful, passive, positive Indigenous-led resistance movement into our national imagination.
Link to article: Matike Mai Te Hiaroa: Ihumātao and just relationships (msn.com)
