Iwi Chairs Forum
Sharing the vision of Kotahitanga
He waka kōtuia kāhore e tukutukua ngā mimira.
A canoe that is interlaced will not become separated at the bow.
In unity there is strength.
Ka rere ngā mihi ki ngā mate maha puta noa i te motu, mai i Muriwhenua taenoa atu ki Murihiku. Rātou katoa kua karangahia e Tahu Kumea rāua ko Tahu Whakairo ki te pō nui, ki te po roa, ki te po tiwhatiwha, tukuna rātou kia okioki i te moenga roa. Kua riro ratou i te ha kore, ara i te kiri matao. E pōua mā, e tāua mā, haere atu ki te whare a Io Te Matua ki Matangireia, moe mai rā. Kāti rā, rātou ki a rātou, tātou nga mahuetanga iho ia ratou, tēnā tātou katoa.
E ngā iwi, e ngā mana, e ngā karangatanga maha o te motu, ka huri ngā mihi ki a koutou. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.
The Iwi Chairs Forum is a platform for sharing knowledge and information between the tangata whenua of Aotearoa. All iwi chairpersons have an open invitation to participate in and contribute to this group which shares the vision of Kotahitanga.
In 2005 the first Iwi Chairs Forum hui was convened at Takahanga Marae in Kaikōura. Since that time the forum has been meeting regularly to discuss and enable Māori aspirations in the spheres of cultural, social, economic, environmental and political development.
Collectively the Iwi Chairs Forum represents more than 400,000 Māori, over 2/3s of the Māori population.
It is kotahitanga that lies at the heart of the forum’s aspirations - enhancing the ability of iwi to work together where we have commonalities and share our experiences for the benefit of those who wish to participate. The Iwi Chairs Forum believes that striving towards kotahitanga will help towards building and strengthening a healthy Māori economy and ultimately enrich and elevate the culture and the lives of our people.