7 Feb, 2022 09:29HomeWorld News

Maori call for breakup with British crown

Indigenous political leaders in New Zealand wish for more “meaningful and fulfilling partnership”

FILE PHOTO. Maori Party co-leader Rawiri Waititi during the Commission Opening of Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand. © Getty Images / Hagen Hopkins

New Zealand’s Maori party has called for the removal of the British monarch as the head of state on Sunday, as the island nation marked its founding, which coincided with the day Queen Elizabeth II saluted her 70th anniversary as ruler.

The statement from Māori Pāti co-leaders Rawiri Waititi and Debbie Ngarewa-Packer came as part of the virtual celebration of Waitangi Day, marking the 182nd anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, or Te Tiriti o Waitangi, New Zealand’s foundational document.

“If you look at our founding covenant as a marriage between tangata whenua [indigenous people] and the crown, then Te Tiriti is the child of that marriage. It’s time [for] tangata whenua to take full custody,” said Waititi, adding that this decision wouldn’t leave the British royal family “off the hook,” and called it “an opportunity to reimagine a more meaningful and fulfilling partnership.”

“The only way this nation can work is when Māori assert their rights to self-management, self-determination, and self-governance over all our domains,” added Waitit’s co-leader Ngarewa-Packer during the online gathering.Read more Queen ousted as Barbados decolonizes

According to her, the Maori party wished to set in motion a revolutionary plan in order to hand power over to New Zealanders. The plan included an overhaul of the Treaty Settlement process, the creation of a Maori parliament, and constitutional transformation.

The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840, guaranteed the indigenous people protection from the British crown. However, in the 100 years after its signing, the Maori lost 90% of their land due to low-price sales, confiscation, and court actions. For these reasons, the Maori consider the treaty to have been breached on many occasions, and are seeking to settle these disputes with the British royal family.

New Zealand Republic Campaign chair Lewis Holden, leader of the organization advocating for selection of a local New Zealand head of state, welcomed the Maori party plans and called the transition policy “straightforward.” In a media release published on the campaign website, he expressed hope that more political parties would join the debate and support the change.READ MORE: Pop star awarded National Hero of now-independent Barbados

Te Pāti Māori currently holds two seats in New Zealand’s Parliament. This call to remove the queen as the head of state is a change in the party’s policy, as it opposed the appeals for republican reforms that came from the Labor party in 2017.You can share this story on social media:

29 Nov, 2021 10:37HomeWorld News

Queen ousted as Barbados decolonizes

The royal crest is seen on a flag at a ceremony to mark the transition of Barbados to a republic. © Reuters /Toby Melville

At midnight on Monday, Barbados will swear in Governor General Sandra Mason as its first president. The Caribbean island will then cut ties with the UK, removing the British monarch as its head of state after nearly 400 years. 

The Barbadian parliament voted last month to replace Queen Elizabeth II with Mason, allowing the country to finally move beyond its history as the oldest colony of the British Empire.

The monarch has been its head of state for almost 400 years, despite the island having secured its independence from the UK in 1966. Mason launched a campaign in 2020 to make Barbados a republic, declaring that “Barbadians want a Barbadian head of state.”

“Having attained independence over half a century ago, our country can be in no doubt about its capacity for self-governance. The time has come to fully leave our colonial past behind,” Mason told NBC News in September, in defense of the campaign. Read more Her Majesty had a good run, but it’s right Barbados is ditching the crown

The Prince of Wales, who is the Queen’s heir, has arrived on the island for the swearing-in ceremony in the capital Bridgetown’s National Heroes Square. The Queen will officially cede her position at midnight, November 30 marking the 55th anniversary of Barbados’ independence, upon which Prince Charles will formally welcome in the new era.

Despite the island’s decision to dismiss the Queen, the Prince of Wales has expressed the hope that the UK and Barbados would maintain strong relations, emphasizing the “myriad connections” between the two countries.

Barbados is the latest Caribbean nation to become a republic, joining Dominica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago. While Jamaica has not formally moved to appoint a president, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has stated that it is committed to replacing the Queen as head of state.You can share this story on social media:

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