What does TEU becoming a Te Tiriti-led union mean to our members?.

In the last instalment Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union’s video series sharing members’ perspectives on our recently completed rules review, our members talk about what it means to them to be part of a Tiriti-led union.

Te Awatea Ward, Co-branch President, Massey University branch of TEU, Ngāti Pāhauwera says “I think it’s very positive. I think it’s building a great foundation for our future.”

Matua Hōne Sadler, the TEU’s Kaumātua and a highly respected Ngāpuhi elder sees TEU as the exemplar to what a treaty-based country is. “We’ve got to ensure that Te Tiriti is meaningful in our lives because it tells us who we are.”

Jael Reiri, a Te Pūkenga Lecturer, identifies as both Waikato Tainui and Pākehā. “I need to walk te ao Pākehā and te ao Māori, and I would appreciate and be grateful for my colleagues being on that journey with me.”

While for Laura Quinn, then Co-branch President at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa branch of TEU, Tangata Tiriti, co-governance can happen at any level of union activism. “It’s about working with Māori to ensure that we cover everybody and look after everybody.”

And finally, Rachel Bolstad, Chief Researcher at NZCER, Tangata Tiriti, says “it’s a great waka to be on and I feel really grateful for the opportunities and the learning that comes from being a member of this union.”