HOSTS & ORGANISERS
NATIONAL IWI CHAIRS FORUM
The Iwi Chairs Forum is the New Zealand government's Treaty partner in the development and delivery of Te Aratini. The Forum comprises independent Iwi (Tribal) Chairs from across Aotearoa New Zealand and is guided by the whakatauki (proverb):
He waka kōtuia kāhore e tukutukua ngā mimira
A canoe that is interlaced will not become separated at the bow.
The waka provides a metaphor for tangata whenua (people of the land), in that a people interlaced will not be separated and through that unity we find strength.
The Forum seeks to address important kaupapa (issues) of priority for Iwi and involves on-going programmes of work that provide a platform for sharing knowledge and information between Iwi and how they can best support one another.
The first Iwi Chairs Forum was convened in 2005 at Takahanga Marae in Kaikōura, Aotearoa New Zealand. Its founding vision is that through unity, sharing and working together we will honour our past and create a better future for whānau, hapū and iwi.
Since then, the Forum meets four times a year to discuss and enable Māori aspirations in the spheres of cultural, social, economic, environmental and political development and regularly invites Crown representatives, Members of Parliament and stakeholder and community groups to present at hui (meetings) on projects and issues that concern Iwi.
Some of the key areas include:
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Fresh Water
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Constitutional Working Group
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Iwi Collective – MoM
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Whānau Ora (family health)
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Climate Change
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Conservation
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Mātauranga (knowledge)
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Housing
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Oil and Minerals
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Foreign Charter Vessels
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Justice
NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT
The New Zealand at Expo 2020 project team is responsible for the delivery of New Zealand's participation in Expo 2020 Dubai on behalf of the New Zealand Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
New Zealand at Expo 2020 is responsible for managing the design, build, visitor experience and operation of the New Zealand Pavilion, which is inspired by the world-first legal status accorded to the Whanganui River. In 2017, the Whanganui River was recognised as a living and indivisible whole by innovative legislation that enshrines indigenous philosophy and values into law and highlights the connection and responsibility between people and the natural world.