Matapiata | Pursuing honourable kāwanatanga: a tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti perspective

As 2025 draws to a close, Whāriki is honoured to welcome Dr. Heather Came and Grant Berghan to help us round out the political year with depth, reflection, and hope. Together, they will explore what honourable kāwanatanga can look like — through both tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti perspectives — and how we might move forward in ways that are tika and pono, grounded in the intent and spirit of te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Heather and Grant bring decades of experience as powerful advocates, researchers, and leaders in Māori development, public health, and antiracism. Their mahi has long focused on dismantling systemic inequities, challenging injustice, and strengthening relationships across te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā. Together, they are collaborators in a Royal Society Marsden study (with Dr Clive Aspin) exploring Honourable Kāwanatanga — research that contributes to the wider movement toward constitutional transformation and a Tiriti-centred Aotearoa envisioned in Matike Mai.

In this kōrero, Heather and Grant will reflect on the challenges and lessons of the past political year — one marked by tension, resilience, and the ongoing call to uphold the mana of te Tiriti. They’ll also look ahead, inviting us to imagine how collective leadership, self-care, and enduring partnerships can guide us towards futures that embody justice, equity, and the shared responsibilities of tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti.