1. Who are Tāngata whaikaha Māori? Disabled Māori are tangata whenua, and members of whānau, hapū and iwi. They have families, partners, children and are sons, daughters, nieces and nephews. The vast majority live in the community. They are diverse. Around 176,000 Māori have a disability, 32% of the Māori population.9 While many have experienced separation from whānau, hapū, iwi and culture – sometimes through removal or institutionalisation – as tangata whenua they share an inherent connection through whakapapa to whānau, hapū and iwi as well as to whenua, maunga, awa and taiao. In this context, many tāngata whaikaha Māori identify as Māori first, defining themselves through whakapapa. Diverse identities Tāngata whaikaha Māori identify in diverse ways, including as Māori, disabled and as part of wider collectives. The New Zealand Disability Strategy 2016 to 2026 states that most Māori with disability identify as Māori first.10 This emphasises the importance of Māori defined terminologies that reflect their cultural identity, language, values, whakapapa and connection to land. A shared identity as Māori affirms one’s indigeneity and “place in the world”, confirming an individual’s connection, status and rights as tangata whenua. Joseph Te Rito explained that whakapapa has had a major part to play in the resilience of Māori and their ability to spring back up.11 “As tangata whenua we are people of the land – who have grown out of the land, Papatūānuku, our Earth Mother. Having knowledge of whakapapa helps ground us to the earth. We have a sense of belonging here, a sense of purpose, a raison d’etre which extends beyond the sense of merely existing on this planet.”12 Not all tāngata whaikaha Māori are strongly connected to their whānau, hapū and Iwi. Many have had their lands, culture and rangatiratanga taken away through the effects of colonisation 6 Human Rights Commission and have lost connection to their genealogical whakapapa. For some tāngata whaikaha Māori this has been replaced with kaupapa based whānau, and disability whakapapa. A key contributor to this disconnect has been successive government policy framed on Western societal thinking of putting disabled people in their own “special” category. Government must initiate change through policy and proactive support to reconnect tāngata whaikaha Māori with their whānau and whakapapa, promoting the influence of whānau and communities within this policy change. The term “disability” itself is contentious in that Māori “do not easily relate to that term or even the concept behind it.”13 Kaiwai and Allport’s Waitangi Tribunal report (Wai 2575) found that some of this contention is linked to early European colonisation and settlement where concepts were introduced that framed disability as a “curse” or “abnormal”.14 In historical whānau, hapū and Iwi whakapapa, there are references made about people with different abilities.15 Disability is not mentioned because this thinking was not part of Māori ethos, as disability is a colonial construct. Having a ‘disability’ did not make you any less or more to your peers.16 In contrast to Tauiwi concepts of disability, Māori perceptions of disabilities focus on the strengths and abilities tāngata whaikaha Māori possessed, rather than viewing disabilities as a hindrance.17 As Tikao et al. highlighted: “In general it appears that Māori in the ancient world who had impairment were people with god-like power and god-like status. They were known for the talents that they possessed, not for what they didn’t have. As time progressed, this notion appeared to change...”.18