New Zealand MPs bring up colonial past while paying tribute to Queen

The New Zealand parliament gathered to pay tribute to British monarch Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday and held a special debate to allow politicians of all parties to acknowledge the monarch’s death. Amidst the honours and admiration, some of them criticised a monarchy built on “stolen land, stolen resources, and stolen treasure”.

“As I stand in this House as a representative of te Iwi Māori, we must always speak our authentic truth,” said Māori party coleader Rawiri Waititi. “The British empire and the power of its monarchy was built of stolen whenua [land], stolen resources, and stolen taonga [treasure].”

While he acknowledged that Māori tradition calls for mourning the dead, he said it was tough to separate Queen, the person from the institution. “I see a lot written on social media. The righteous anger of Indigenous people all over the world. I take those stories as stories I carry with me, and my tikanga,” he said.

Several other Māori politicians also paid tribute to the royal family, but also highlighted the wrongs done in the past.

“Many Māori leaders, while holding a rightful space of aroha [love], have also been very clear that we cannot ignore the oppression of Māori as very real and continuing,” Greens co-leader Marama Davidson said.

Notably, the royal family has acknowledged the past wrongdoings in the past. In 1995 the Queen personally signed a crown apology to the people of Waikato/Tainui for atrocities and the stealing of land by the crown.

Foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta noted that King Charles III had spoken at recent Commonwealth meeting in Rwanda about acknowledging past wrongdoing.

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern left for UK on Wednesday to attend the Queen's funeral on September 19.

(With inputs from agencies)