Highly Recommended Reading on Te Tiriti

Interest in te Tiriti/the Treaty has been amplified recently, with tens of thousands turning up in support of Māori and our founding documents over the past few days. For those who are curious, willing and wanting to be more knowledgeable about current debates, we’ve compiled a short list of some of our favourite books on the topic. They serve as an introduction to modern te Tiriti issues.

Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou

Ka Whawhai Tonu Matou remains a bestseller for good reason. Ground-breaking and compelling, Dr Ranginui Walker details the ongoing struggle for justice by Māori. It is a uniquely Māori view of the past two centuries of our history, with the revised edition covering the years past 1990. Recent years, including foreshore and seabed and Don Brash’s infamous Orewa speech, provide a foundation of understanding for 21st-century te Tiriti issues.

Becoming Tangata Tiriti

Knowing how to champion te Tiriti can be a daunting prospect for many Pākehā and tauiwi. Becoming Tangata Tiriti brings together the voices of 12 non-Māori on their journey of bringing te Tiriti into their workplaces. It shares lessons on who we are as tangata tiriti and how to navigate complex cross-cultural relationships. It is a guide for those who are nervous and/or just beginning their journey into creating Tiriti-based spaces.

All That We Know

All That We Know is fiction that reflects the very real issues of the legacies of colonisation. It follows Māreikura Pohe, an accidental activist learning te reo Māori while navigating intergenerational language loss. Māreikura feels disconnected from her whakapapa, an experience of many urban Māori forced to navigate a Pākehā world. Meanwhile, non-Māori characters around Māreikura are learning to be tangata tiriti through the nuance of taking up space in te ao Māori. A perfect read for those who prefer novels to non-fiction but want to understand the need for continued support of te Tiriti.

Tangata Whenua

Tangata Whenua places Māori at the centre of Aotearoa history. It details the evolution of Māori from the Pacific to the 21st Century. Published to broad acclaim, it is universally beloved amongst academics, Māori leaders, reviewers and commentators. An essential read for those interested in our history.

Knowledge is a Blessing On Your Mind

A collection of forty years of writing from anthropologist and activist Anne Salmond. It brings together important examples of her writing on te ao Māori, Māori culture, and te Tiriti as a Pākehā author. This is Anne Salmond’s story but it is more broadly a story of pro-Tiriti Pākehā navigating a changing political landscape in Aotearoa.

Anything to add to the list? Post what you’re reading and tag us @unitybooksauckland