Runanga Whaiti has congratulated the three leaders of the new government, assured them of its prayers – and urged them to prioritise three areas: climate change, child poverty and whanau homelessness and the “long-term vulnerability of Maori” caused by colonisation.

Runanga Whaiti (the standing committee of the Te Pihopatanga) met yesterday in Auckland and, as part of its deliberations, passed a resolution which it is now sending to each of the party leaders of the Labour/NZ First/Greens governing coalition.

The resolution describes climate change as an “existential challenge… particularly destructive for indigenous peoples”. It also names “child and whanau poverty and homelessness” and says the manner in which our society treats its “marginalised and vulnerable” is its true measure.

And the resolution says New Zealand “has to address the long-term vulnerability of Maori caused through the processes of colonisation.”

The actual wording of the resolution is as follows:

Ka mihi ki te Kawanatanga hou, engari rawa ia ki te Pirimia, Jacinda Ardern, ki te Pirimia Tuarua, ki te Tino Hōnore, ki a Winston Peters, rātau ko James Shaw, ā ka inoi mō rātau i a rātau ka rite nei ki te arataki i tēnei whenua.

I a mātau ka mihi nei, ka tūtohungia ki a rātau ngā kaupapa matua e whai nei:

1. He wero pā pū tonu ki te oranga o te ao te Whakamahanatanga o te Āhuarangi, he mea e takahi motuhake tonu i ngā tāngata whenua.

2. Ko te tino mehua mō tō tātau iwi, ko te rawakoretanga o ā tātau tamariki, whānau hoki, me to tātau āhua ki te hunga manene.

3. Me whakatikangia e tēnei whenua te whakaraeraetanga hai mea rite tonu o te iwi Māori nā te tāmitanga.

We congratulate the incoming Government, particularly Prime Minister Jacinda Adern, Deputy Prime Minister the Right Honourable Winston Peters and James Shaw, and pray for them as they take up the leadership of this country.

In doing so, we commend to them the following priorities:

1. Climate change remains an existential challenge for our planet, and is particularly destructive for indigenous peoples.

2. Child and whanau poverty and homelessness and how we treat our marginalised and vulnerable is the true measure of our society

3. This nation has to address the long-term vulnerability of Maori caused through the processes of colonisation.

The resolution has been emailed to each of the party leaders.