New Possibilities for Our Democratic Future: Matike Mai Aotearoa and its Proposal for Constitutional Transformation

Abstract

Following years of work and many hui involving thousands of people, Matike Mai Aotearoa (the Independent Working Group on Constitutional Transformation) released its report earlier this year. Matike Mai Aotearoa was established by the Iwi Chairs Forum to develop “a model for an inclusive Constitution for Aotearoa based on tikanga and kawa, He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Niu Tireni of 1835, Te Tiriti o Waitangi of 1840, and other indigenous human rights instruments which enjoy a wide degree of international recognition”. In this opening plenary, we will hear from Professor Margaret Mutu, the Working Group Chair, about the work of Matike Mai Aotearoa, and its initiative to listen to the voices of ordinary people about issues of constitutional change.