February | 2024 | NZNO's Blog

Anne Daniels, President
Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
― Martin Luther King Jr

Last year, I had the privilege of attending most of the NZNO Regional Council Conventions. During the day we discussed member engagement and what motivates members to get involved by going to meetings, rallies, protests, and taking on an advocacy role such as being a delegate, or health and safety representative. The answer was anger at injustice. Anger overcomes fear. Anger motivates a person to find out how to right the wrong. Anger motivates a person to become part of the solution through action.

Justice assumes that society has a responsibility to treat people fairly. Society confirms concepts of justice in its legal frameworks. There is an inter-relationship between law and justice, which means that one does not automatically override the other. Laws are modified over time, and it’s thought that when they are applied, justice is increased.

But does it? What if the law is unjust? What if there is no law to provide justice? Right now, in New Zealand, laws are being repealed and changed which will result in injustice in our society and lead to an increase in poor health outcomes for those we care for. So, what do we do about it?

It is said there is power in the people to create change. The history of protests shows this to be true. The Kia Ora incident (1984) is an example of one person starting an action, and seeing it finish with the power of the people behind her. Naida Glavish, a telephone operator was instructed to stop using “Kia ora” when greeting callers. Glavish refused and was stood down, with the whole affair attracting much public interest. She was later given back her job when the Postmaster General, who initially supported the Kia ora ban, changed his mind, and persuaded the Prime Minister Robert Muldoon to overturn the prohibition. This incident was considered key in the movement to revitalise the Māori language. The power of the people overcame the injustice.

On Waitangi Day 2024, I was asked to attend a hikoi in Dunedin to protest against the current Government’s policy to review te Tiriti o Waitangi, our country’s 180-year-old founding document, which will “unravel decades of indigenous progress” I have attended and led many protests in my time, but this hikoi was the first where there were so many people participating, I could not see the end of the march. The power of the people was palpable. Māori and non-Māori came together to fight injustice. I knew that this was just the beginning. Justice will be served.

So, it must be for NZNO members. Exhaustion, fear professional and personal responsibilities cannot hold us back from standing together and acting against the injustices perpetuated against us and those we care for. Inaction perpetuates injustice and consequent suffering, negates change, and is done to us, without us. We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. Every member everywhere must heed the call of our Maranga Mai! Strategic Plan 2023-2025, and act locally, regionally, nationally. Together we stand, divided we fall. We cannot wait for ‘someone else’ to do it for us. Each one of us has the power to make a difference. But we have unstoppable power when we act together in “unionity”.

NZNO represents more than 60,000 members. Together, we are a power to be reckoned with. This year the Membership Committee (made up of regional council representatives) will work with other NZNO groups to reach out to ask every nurse, everywhere to raise their voice and do the mahi. This year we will fight the injustice of being told to do more with less, putting ourselves and our patients at risk. Nurse-patient ratio legislation will protect us from these injustices but together we will have to fight on the picket lines, and in the halls of power. Marvin Gaye sang “Picket lines and picket signs/Don’t punish me with brutality/Talk to me, so you can see/Oh, what’s going on.” I will see you all there, Every nurse, everywhere.

Kerri Nuku, Kaiwhakahaere
Tōpūtanga Tapuhi Kaitiaki o Aotearoa NZNO

Across our history there have been many hikoi, each one as significant as the next. These shows of kotahitanga and peaceful action were used to raise issues and promote dialogue as partners in te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The Coalition Government’s current priority to “review The Treaty of Waitangi” and Māori policy has sparked a new wave of kotahitanga action. Responding to these concerns over Government policies related to Māori, Kingi Tuheitia called for a hui-a-motu to unify the nation. This was held late last month and with thousands of Māori and non-Māori in attendance and represented another significant milestone in our history.

Waitangi Day is expected to be one of action and unity like no other. This year a rōpu of Māori nurses will be travelling to Waitangi to send the wero that colonisation is a social determinant of health. It is not by choice that we are over-represented in poor health outcomes; it is a construct of colonisation and legislation. We will challenge legislation that continues to enable racist funding that sees our Māori and Iwi provider nurses being paid significantly less – and data and statistics that continuously report our negative health with little action. Not one more policy should be developed without Māori.

This kaupapa is important for all New Zealanders, not just Māori, because if we have even one community in need that is neglected by this Government, it undermines the entire nation. We all need to stick together to oppose David Seymour’s proposed Treaties bill.

In the photo: Whina Cooper seen here on the Auckland bridge was joined by thousands in her land hikoi to Parliament in 1975.

Here are some other significant historical hikoi that took place in the recent past:

On 13 October 1975 Whina Cooper led the land march to Parliament. Along the way on her journey, she was joined by others until approximately 5000 people arrived at Parliament to present a petition signed by 60,000 people to Prime Minister Bill Rowling protesting the continual loss of Māori land through sales or confiscation. Her message was “not one more acre”.

This represented a significant milestone in Māori history forever captured in the famous photo as Whina and her mokopuna start their journey from the country gravel road to the smoothly paved steps of Parliament. The moment was symbolic as the journey was long, unknown challenges, but with an unwavering determination and action of tino rangatiratanga which galvanised Māori and non-Māori alike.

The Foreshore and Seabed Hikoi in April 2004 began in Northland. As they marched the support increased until they arrived in Wellington on 5 May 2004. The hikoi was against proposed legislation to vest ownership of New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed to the Crown a breach to Te Tiriti of Waitangi.

The hikoi on 29 July 2019 called for a halt to Oranga Tamariki removing tamariki from whānau and Iwi. And removal of Oranga Tamariki legislation which entrenched and enabled such violent and traumatic uplift of a newborn baby from Hastings Hospital. As we saw in the Hastings baby uplift case.

Unity is strength! Toitū Te Tiriti!! Uphold the Treaty.