Matua Kahurangi: If Māori are the experts of the moana, why are their drowning rates so high?

The other day I wrote about Green Party figure Celia Wade-Brown, who claimed Māori wards are necessary because Māori “know the rivers, whenua and sea.” It was the usual Green Party sermon, Māori as the all-knowing guardians of nature and the rest of us as too colonised to understand a high tide.

Then I stumbled across an article about Ngātiwai rangatira Aperahama Edwards, claiming the Government has no authority to make it harder for Māori to win customary marine title to the foreshore and seabed. Another familiar refrain: we are the experts of the moana, so give us ownership and control.

And that got me thinking. If Māori are truly the experts of the sea, why are Māori drowning rates so bloody high?

Ngātiwai rangatira Aperahama Edwards pictured at Matapōuri Beach, Northland.

It is not an unfair question. According to Water Safety New Zealand, Māori make up between 15 and 22 percent of all drowning deaths despite being roughly 15 percent of the population. The most vulnerable group is Māori men aged 15 to 44, often in incidents involving swimming, boating, or diving.

These are grim statistics. Drowning must be one of the most terrifying ways to die. But how do we reconcile this with the endless rhetoric about Māori being the natural stewards of the sea? If the moana is in the DNA, why are so many dying in it?

Maybe Aperahama Edwards should spend less time trying to carve up ownership of the foreshore and seabed and more time helping prevent his people from drowning in it. That might actually save lives, which is more than can be said for another round of Treaty-based payouts. Drowning prevention just does not pay the bills, does it?

There is at least one positive initiative, Kia Maanu Kia Ora, which means “stay afloat, stay alive.” It is a Māori-focused water safety programme supported by Water Safety New Zealand. Credit where it is due, it is an effort that tackles the real issue. You can find it here:

Make no mistake, this country’s foreshore and seabed belong to all New Zealanders. Not just to Rangi because he can trace one-sixty-fourth of his ancestry to a particular iwi. The ocean, the rivers, the beaches, they belong to everyone.

Most of you already know where I stand on this. I want equality. Not race-based privilege. Not special laws. Not endless claims dressed up as “restorative justice.” Just fairness, across the board.

Because at the end of the day, race-based privilege is racism. It needs to end.

Oh, and Aperahama, before you start counting your next government cheque, maybe focus on keeping your people alive in the water. That would be real leadership. Not the grifting kind, ay, bro.

Matua Kahurangi is just a bloke sharing thoughts on New Zealand and the world beyond. No fluff, just honest takes. He blogs on https://matuakahurangi.com/ where this article was sourced.