Source: Ngāti Pāoa Health
Ngāti Pāoa Health and social service, E Tipu E Rea (soon to be Ki Tua o Matariki) has publicly condemned the hate- fuelled actions at a recent Destiny Church protest. Over the weekend, on Saturday 21 June, disturbing scenes unfolded during a protest led by Brian Tāmaki and members of Destiny Church.
This protest, which publicly denounced non-Christian religions, saw individuals dressed in traditional Māori attire- maro, taiaha in hand, and adorned with stencil moko-perform a haka intended to intimidate and shame other belief systems. Twelve flags were stomped on and set alight, among them the rainbow flag representing our LGBTQIA+ whānau.
E Tipu E Rea, the health and social services arm of Ngāti Pāoa, firmly condemns these actions as a harmful and disgraceful misuse of cultural identity and a blatant act of hate speech.
“We continue to speak out about this as we are extremely concerned for safety and mental wellbeing of young parents in our service who are part of the Takatāpui community and others across the motu. Our tikanga teaches us to uplift, to manaaki, and to protect the dignity of all people. What we witnessed was not a reflection of our tikanga, but a weaponisation of our culture to spread hate” said E Tipu E Rea CEO Zoe Witika Hawke.
The health service offers a range of wrap around services in the first 2,000 days including midwifery, WCTO nursing, and mātauranga Māori to help whānau to connect with their reo, culture and whakapapa. However, the organisation disagrees with the use of Māori cultural expressions to target minority communities-including LGBTQIA+, Muslim, Buddhist, and other non-Christian groups and states that it is a gross distortion of what it means to be tangata whenua.
“We do not support the divisive rhetoric or actions of Brian Tāmaki and his followers. Their protest represents a direct attack on the values of inclusion, aroha, and whakapapa that bind our diverse communities together,” said Witika- Hawke.
E Tipu E Rea stands proudly alongside our LGBTQIA+ whānau, and in solidarity with Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh and all other faiths and belief systems that are part of the vibrant fabric of Aotearoa. Our kaupapa is to uplift the mana of all young parents-especially in the face of stigma and discrimination-and we reject any narrative that seeks to elevate one identity at the expense of another.
“We remind Aotearoa that Māori culture is not a tool of religious supremacy”.
