He iwi kua roa e pakanga ana mo to ratou ake mana motuhake, no enei ra okioki i whakaekea a Waitangi e te mangai mo te whenua Airini. Koinei tonu te ra i hainatia ai Te Whakaputanga o te rangatiratanga o Niu Tireni.
E ao te whakatau mo te mangai o te whenua o Airani, nana nei i hikina ai te taki mona ka mau ki tona ngakau.
Hei tā Peeni Henare, “Koina te hononga o te iwi o Airihi ki te iwi Maori nei ne ko nga pakanga mo te mana motuhake. Noreira e harikoa ana i whakakahui tatou katoa ki runga o Waitangi i te ra nei. Ka kii ake ki te Maori, ko tenei mea te mana motuhake me kaua e tukuna atu ki tetahi atu. Me uu tonu ki te kaupapa whai i te mana motuhake.”
Ano nei, ehara i te tupono noa te whakaeke mai o tenei rangatira ki runga o Waitangi i te ra i hainatia ai te whakaputanga o te rangatiratanga o Niu Tireni.
E ai ki te Mangai o Airani a Michael D Higgins, “I have to tell you that even since I've been looking again at some of my notes on the significance of Waitangi in relation to both land and not just land but in relation to sea and fisheries and foreshore and so forth and the influence that the Waitangi treaty has had indeed on the legislation at different times and the legislation that has been changed in different periods and I want to wish you every success as you go forward with all of these issues.”
Hei tā Pita Tipene, “I mea mai tenei tangata kua roa kee ratou e whawhai ana i nga Ingarihi kei a ratou ano o ratou tiriti. Na kua tae mai ki konei i te 28 o Oketopa he ra nui mo nga hapu o Ngapuhi puta noa e miharo ana au ki te whakarongo ki waana korero.”
Neke atu i te rua tekau nga tau no tana arahi ite puawaitanga mai ano o te reo Gaelic me te whakatuwheratanga o te teihana mo nga reo taketake o Airani. Taka mai ki tenei ra nana tonu nga tohutohu pai e ora tonu ai to tatou reo rangatira ki tua.
“Ko te mea ka orooro nei ki roto i au ko tana mahere mo te reo Maori. Hei tana ko te reo taketake na me puritia me whangaihia kia tupu mai to tatou reo ki roto o Aotearoa me tana hiahia, ka hoki mai ia me te hiahia kia rongo whanui to tatou reo Maori kaua ki runga i te marae anake.”
Hei te roanga o enei ra okioki hoki atu ai tenei manuhiri tuarangi ki te wa kainga.
