Dr Moana Jackson Recognised For His National Contributions To Whanau, Hapu And Iwi With The Inaugural Presentation Of Te Whare Pukenga Award By The National Iwi Chairs Forum 7 May 2021.

On 7 May 2021, the National Iwi Chairs forum conferred the inaugural Te Whare Pukenga award to Dr Te Moana Nui a Kiwa Jackson (Moana Jackson) for his outstanding contributions as an advocate, facilitator and educator for Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Human Rights and social justice.

The National Iwi Chairs Forum established the award recognising the outstanding contributions made by Māori to strengthen whānau, hapu and iwi. Te Whare Pukenga, acknowledges the skills, knowledge and actions that have had an impact at a national level, for Māori and all communities.

Moana is from Ngāti Kahungunu and Ngāti Porou iwi. Throughout his life, he has demonstrated outstanding leadership in helping whānau, hapu and iwi make decisions about their development. He is an expert in Te Tiriti, indigenous rights, tikanga, law and history and uses his skills as an educator, motivator, facilitator and advocate to help all people understand colonisation and the impact it has had on Aotearoa. He was a judge on the International Tribunal of Indigenous Rights in Hawaii in 1993 and again in Canada in 1995. He was also counsel for the Bougainville Interim Government during the Bougainville peace process.

His report, “He Whaipaanga Hou” published in 1988, was ahead of its time, providing solutions to help shape the criminal justice system so that it works fairly for Māori and for all New Zealanders. This report was the product of interviews with hundreds of people speaking of the justice system and its impact on whānau and was written during his tenure as Director of He Kaiwhakamarama I Nga Ture (the Māori legal service).

Moana’s occasional papers during the Fiscal Envelope (1994) and Foreshore and Seabed (2004/5) legislative changes helped us understand how governments restricted the rights of Māori. This knowledge enabled New Zealanders to protest and bring international attention to the contemporary colonisation practices of our governments.

In 2016, Moana led a team that produced “Matike Mai,” a blueprint for Constitutional Transformation. It is a core text for law students in Aotearoa and continues to provide hope for a fairer future for Māori and all New Zealanders.

Moana helped shape the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He led the Working Group that was tasked with putting the draft together. Moana is in demand as a keynote speaker at conferences and Waitangi Tribunal and court hearings for his expertise in international human rights, tino rangatiratanga and social justice. He has supported and mentored young Māori lawyers, provided advice and training to many people working for government departments and iwi organisations.

Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Chairman, Ngahiwi Tomoana in nominating Moana, said “Moana is a quiet and humble man who has turned down offers of honours and public recognition of achievements. His humility is well captured about him in a recent publication; “Moana likes telling stories to and for his mokopuna and hopes they grow up in a land where Te Tiriti is finally seen as the base for respectful political relationships. Then there will be other stories to tell.” Imagining Declonisation (2020).

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