Depending on the motivations of those uttering them, the words ‘one nation, one people’ can carry different meanings. Professor Vaughan Bidois (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāi Tai) executive director academic at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi, in a July article for The New Zealand Herald, speaks to them in the context of our national celebration of Matariki. Professor Bidois, drawing on the work of Rangi Mātaamua (Tūhoe), suggests they can be used hopefully in the context of an invitation to ‘a better understanding of our national identity and who we are as a people.’
Professor Bidois goes on to say that ‘Matariki provides us all with the time and space to pause and reflect on what future we want for our nation and for our mokopuna. It symbolises our unity and reflects the connection between two peoples in the founding of this great country, our Pacific location and the history and knowledge of all those who have chosen this land as their home.’
You can read more of his thoughts on Matariki and ‘one nation, one people’ here.