To honour the Treaty: Māori and Pacific people unite 'like the in-laws' to redefine New Zealand's multicultural future

Pacific people across Aotearoa are engaging with Māori in new ways and uniting on how to honour the Treaty of Waitangi, while also considering whether a new constitution is needed for the multi-cultural nation that New Zealand is today.

Waitangi Day, held on 6 February, is one of the most important days on the calendar for Māori.

Thousands of people are gathering on Waitangi treaty grounds where the country's founding document was signed on this day in 1840.

For months, several Māori groups have spoken out against the reform agenda of the new centre-right government, and Pacific leaders and young people have joined them in protests.

For Maori and Pacific, Waitangi Day not only marks the history of the Treaty, but a significant cultural shift, Former Minister of Pacific People's, Aupito William Sio, said.

He said it is a moment where there seems to be a call to action to acknowledge the past but to also unite in carving a path forward to create the future of New Zealand.

The change in government has become some what of a cultural catalyst, sparking fresh dialogue lead by Kingitanga - the Māori King Movement - around creating a new constitution, with Pasifika alongside Pākehā, key partners in that conversation.

"We really need to have a serious conversation about what it means to be a nation of Aotearoa New Zealand and what the treaty actually means for not just Māori but all New Zealanders," Sio said.

"Politicians come and go, but it is people that remain" and it is the people who ultimately have the power to shape the future of Aotearoa, he said.

Maori and Pacific: 'Walk in both cultural identities'

The Pacific has a unique role to play in helping form a blueprint for the nation going forward, according to Sio.

He said Pasifika were "like the in-laws" to Māori, noting overall about 20 percent of the population had ancestry or genealogical connections to Māori.

Political Commentator Thomas Wayne shared similar sentiments about the deep connections between Māori and Pasifika people.

He said there was a growing cohort of Pacific people who are also Māori.

"I have grandchildren who walk in both cultural identities and I get a sense of what is good for Māori is good for Pacific, Wayne said.

"We understand there is a cultural, linguistic, genealogical vaka and relationship to the people of this land.

"We just need to turn up. When someone in the family is facing a challenge they need to know that we stand with [Māori]. We need to show them we can do that."

Sio urged Pasifika people to learn about Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the significance of the nation's founding document.

"I want them to be confident about their world views and multi-culturalism," he said.