Foreword Tāngata whaikaha Māori have a right to be safe and to live well, but as this report shows, their Tiriti and human rights are being breached. Speaking about crime statistics recently, the Deputy Secretary of Justice noted that, for our people, “just being Māori” means we are more likely to be victims of crime.1 In this, and in many other areas – health, education, employment – we are faced with discrimination, structural barriers and systems that were, not only not designed for us, but often designed to assimilate and dispossess us. As a people, we have experienced the violence of colonisation – “an inherently abusive process”2 that sought to rob us of our lands, resources and way of life. We continue to live with the impacts of that process, including discrimination and disproportionate experience of violence. Our tāngata whaikaha Māori whānau face these obstacles and colonial mechanisms, as well as having to navigate multiple other barriers. The combination of these intersecting inequities places them at even higher risk of violence and abuse. And yet too often, tāngata whaikaha Māori have been made invisible in government strategies, statistics, policies and plans. This lack of recognition has led to lack of action and this must change. In publishing this report, and its companion Whakamahia te tūkino kore ināianei, ā muri ake nei: Acting now for a violence and abuse free future, the Human Rights Commission is calling for urgent action and transformational change, based on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and human rights standards. To be successful in this kaupapa requires us to embrace a decolonised and critically conscious orientation. It requires government commitment to and action on its Tiriti obligations, including upholding genuine partnership, sharing decision making and resources, and proactively advancing equity. It requires acting with intensity and urgency. While the legacy of colonisation has created a situation where ‘just being Māori’ means that our whānau – in particular tāngata whaikaha Māori – face greater risks, as tangata whenua we know that ‘just being Māori’ is also our greatest gift, and the source of our unique strength. As tangata whenua we have essential strengths derived from our tīpuna, who laid the pathways for us; and a resilience borne from our experiences as a colonised peoples. Within our whānau, hapū and iwi, tāngata whaikaha Māori hold the expertise and experience to lead effective solutions and advance their aspirations. This report calls on government to listen to tāngata whaikaha Māori, their whānau, hapū and iwi, support their leadership and tino rangatiratanga, and to enable and support collective, te ao Māori approaches. Te Tiriti o Waitangi and human rights documents such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, provide a strong platform and framework for addressing issues of violence, racism, ableism and inequity. Inherent in any strategies and policies targeted at preventing violence and abuse must be a commitment to the realisation of the rights guaranteed in Te Tiriti and Indigenous rights standards. Restoring our traditional approaches, and reconnecting our people is critical. As tangata whenua, we all carry a spark of mana motuhake within us. When those individual sparks join together and become connected in kotahitanga, then we will see the truth of our potential in mana motuhake. Tricia Keelan Pou Ārahi | Deputy Chief Executive 2 Human Rights Commission