4. Recommendations Addressing violence and abuse against tāngata whaikaha not only involves addressing violence itself, but also the policies, values, and beliefs that maintain the prevalence of violence. Prevention strategies require Government to uphold its obligations to Te Tiriti and Indigenous rights, both individual and collective. We invite government to: a. Value Indigenous worldviews ensuring programme design, implementation and evaluation are informed by Tikanga and Te Ao Māori b. Prioritise tino rangatiratanga, selfdetermination and autonomous decisionmaking made by tāngata whaikaha Māori as part of whānau, hapū and iwi c. Move from an individual focus to a focus on whānau, hapū, iwi and communities d. Ensure solutions reflect the aspirations and elevate the voice of tāngata whaikaha Māori e. Enforce parallel responses to simultaneously address context and specific forms of violence f. Partner with whānau, hapū, iwi and communities to emphasise primary prevention of violence g. Allocate appropriate resourcing including capacity building of whānau, hapū and iwi and Kaupapa Māori approaches h. Realise the promises of Te Tiriti and rights for tāngata whaikaha Māori under UNDRIP and UNCRPD. Value Indigenous worldviews ensuring programme design, implementation and evaluation are informed by Tikanga and Te Ao Māori Te Ao Maori values, knowledge systems and collective support structures offer considerable strengths, and kaupapa Māori exemplars highlight the effectiveness and potential of tangata whenua led initiatives.91 Recognition and respect for Tikanga and Te Ao Māori (Māori worldviews) values is necessary in all solutions for preventing violence against tāngata whaikaha Māori. Generally, Tikanga can be described as a means of social control.92 It reflects the “right” way of behaving in the Māori world. Te Ao Māori and Tikanga values and principles must be incorporated into programme design, implementation and evaluation in a way that will honour Te Tiriti and allow these views to develop unhindered by an overarching framework of colonial dominance. Recognising the importance of wairuatanga, duty-bearers must actively protect Māori beliefs and values by ensuring inclusion, recognition and respect for Te Ao Māori in all policies and decisions. Government must commit to providing Te Ao Māori appropriate services for tāngata whaikaha Māori who experience violence and abuse, and provide for them to be Māori led, designed, implemented, and evaluated. The Interim Te Rōpū Strategy, Te Hau Tangata calls for a Plan and Strategy with Tikanga-based approaches to preventing violence, and definitions of violence that align with Te Ao Māori worldviews.93 The broader problem that can be extracted from Government’s approach to preventing violence and abuse against tāngata whaikaha Māori is the failure to prioritise Te Ao Māori. Many health services ‘continue to deliver culturally inappropriate services and tend to neglect the worldviews of Indigenous people, offering a service based on the dominant biomedical model.’94 Reliance on Western ways of thinking restricts the effect services can have for tāngata whaikaha Māori, constituting a failure to honour Te Tiriti. It is important to avoid co-opting Māori values and processes when designing services. Historically, the Crown has incorporated carefully selected aspects of Tikanga into its service frameworks. In doing so, the Crown places Tauiwi values and processes in a position of superiority over Tikanga Māori. Specifically selecting aspects of Tikanga that sit neatly within the Crown’s preexisting structures subordinates Māori values and perspectives. The continuous omission of Te Tiriti in policy and strategic statements, whether deliberate or not, allows for the continuation of Crown policy that centres Western values and concepts at the forefront of the discussion. Whakamanahia Te Tiriti, Whakahaumarutia te Tangata - Honour the Treaty, Protect the person 17