Te Tiriti and our union.

Te Hautū Kahurangi | Tertiary Education Union have produced a series of informative videos that aim to share our members’ perspectives on our Rules rewrite, which is set to reform some aspects of our union’s governance and position us as a Tiriti-led organisation.

In the first instalment, Matua Hōne Sadler and Dr Heather Came discuss Te Tiriti o Waitangi, why it matters in the TEU and why we say Te Tiriti and not “the treaty”.

Matua Hōne, TEU’s Kaumātua and a highly respected Ngāpuhi elder, sums it up nicely when he says, “It’s about including people, and it’s not about one on top of the other, it’s about doing it together.”

Dr Came agrees. Sharing her perspective as a rank-and-file union member from the Department of Public Health at AUT, she says she would be “bitterly disappointed” if her union wasn’t interested in advancing issues of racial justice in addition to pay and working conditions.

“If unions are about social justice, they’re about racial justice too. So, it’s about looking after the interests of the Māori members, it’s about looking after Māori staff and creating a culture where there’s no racism within the union, and that we’re proactive in standing in solidarity around issues that are important to Māori members.”

Branch and network representatives across the TEU have now been sent copies of the draft Rule changes and hui are being organised at every branch. Look out for a hui near you and/or contact your Branch President to find out more.