Why Pākehā should implement te Tiriti o Waitangi in charitable organisations, and how we could do better

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper presents research of how Pākehā Aotearoa New Zealanders experience implementing te Tiriti o Waitangi in charitable organisations. Written by two Pākehā co-authors and drawing upon five Pākehā participants working in the charitable sector, we problematise tensions that exist at the intersection of being Pākehā and being charity sector workers. While most Pākehā charitable workers aspire to honour te Tiriti, many lack the skills, knowledge, relationships, and resources to implement a more than 180-year-old document in modern organisational contexts. Using a decolonising method of storytelling, five Pākehā participants working or volunteering in the charitable sector engaged in critical conversations during the first author’s Master’s research project. Co-constructed dialogues were transcribed and analysed thematically, revealing that: (a) personal and organisational self-assessment is a key, yet problematic, part of Pākehā implementation of te Tiriti; (b) Pākehā have varying understandings of te Tiriti; (c) Pākehā can confuse sharing culture for sharing power; and (d) Pākehā find it important to have Māori staff and governance members but notice tensions and disparities among those roles. This paper offers recommendations for Pākehā seeking to work towards implementing te Tiriti in charitable organisational contexts and could inform broader conversations about implementing te Tiriti for Pākehā.