Kia hiwa ra!  Kia hiwa ra!

Tēnei rā te Roopu Māori te whakamōhio atu kia koutou i to mātou nei tohu me ōna whakamarama.  Huri atu te pō!  Nau mai te ao!

At a hui of over 200 people at Hoani Waititi Marae on Sunday 23 May 2004 it was agreed that the interim name of the party shall be the ‘Maori Party’. 

Our people were very mindful of this being a time of Matariki, a time of new beginnings, a time to pause and reflect on the past that was and the future that will be.   Our customary practice of observing the star constellation Matariki connects us to land and sea food harvesting, to orientation and direction setting, whilst also acknowledging those who have passed before us.  The Matariki is also a time of celebrating the upcoming Maramataka and the newly born.  For all these reasons, it seemed the optimum time to launch our logo, and our corporate branding, for the Maori Party.Te ahunga mai o tenei tohu – What’s in our name?

Our logo illustrates three key ideas:

• Māori – Our name, our foundation as a country, our values and aspirations for New Zealand; an affirmation of tangata whenua;
• Colours – Our corporate colours are adopted from the proverb of the first Māori King, Potatau Te Wherowhero
• ‘ao’ – Literally means world.  Our world, te Ao Māori, Aotearoa.

Ma te wai maori tatou e tu ora.  Ma te whakaaro maori te ture me te tangata e tu tika.  Ma nga tikanga Maori tatou e tuhono.  Ma te mana Maori te whenua e toitu.

In this logo, the name of the indigenous people of New Zealand, maori (in lower case) means natural.  Our name incorporates:

• Maori – Upholding indigenous values to ensure our country maintains its natural beauty and is home for all New Zealanders;
• Rangatiratanga –Te Tiriti o Waitangi clearly confirmed tino rangatiratanga or Maori sovereignty over all things Maori (Article 2).  Rangatiratanga approximates to oversight, responsibility, authority, control, sovereignty, of te Ao Maori, the Maori world.
• Te Tiriti o Waitangi – Upholding the founding document of our country and nurturing the relationship that has evolved between our peoples;
• Kotahitanga – As tangata whenua and Treaty partners we have the responsibility to ensure that all peoples that make New Zealand their home are treated with fairness and dignity.

Nga tai – Corporate Colours

I ahu mai nga tai o tenei tohu i te whakatauaki o Kingi Potatau Te Wherowhero. 

Our corporate colours are adopted from the proverb uttered by King Potatau Te Wherowhero at his coronation in 1858.  Using the richness of this proverb, our colours represent the many paths, and the many peoples, that have come together to make New Zealand our home – our pathway forward to the future.

Our colours also incorporate their traditional meanings and how we interpret the meanings today:

• Ma / White: tohu o nga rangi – purity and a clean New Zealand;
• Pango / Black: tohu o te ringa raupa – hard work and acknowledging the efforts to build a nation based on diverse cultural positions and visions;
• Whero / Red: tohu rangatira – dignity, leadership and the pride we have for our country – our home.

Tapiki atu i nga ao o te rangi kia matau koe ki to ao ake katahi ka atea te titiro kite ao e huri nei.

“ao”, the world, highlights the importance of firstly, te Ao Maori, the philosophies, practices and world views encompassed within the tangata whenua reality.  It is also in understanding the distinctive nature of our world, Aotearoa, and knowing how to share our world with the rest of the world.

Our “ao” incorporates:

• The maori/natural world view and celebrating the true diversity of the maori/natural world view; while also respecting other world views;
• Linking the ‘a’ and ‘o’ with a koru[1] emphasizes the importance of working together and our shared heritage – our home;
• The koru is symbolic of the unfolding of new life, a time of renewal and hope for the future;
• The koru represents our continual growth as a country as we learn to celebrate and find strength in our culturally diverse home;
• The koru represents the importance of maintaining a clean natural environment for all New Zealanders to enjoy and respect;
• Seeing the world with a New Zealand perspective;
• “ao” also means sky and how as a country we must strive for excellence – reaching for Pleiades and the Southern Cross.

maori – your natural world, your home, your party.