Ownership or kaitiaki

As a proud New Zealander of European and Maori descent I consider myself to be very lucky to call Aotearoa my home.
However, it saddens me that many are still very negative about the intentions of Maori. I can only put this down to ignorance or maybe even the fear of a real bi-cultural nation but what I really hope is that it's a lack of education. And if this is the case then I hope we are getting better at educating future generations.
The hot topic at the moment is ‘Water Ownership'.
Ownership is an English word that I would not use to describe the intention of Maori. A word like ‘kaitiaki' may be more appropriate. Kaitiaki can be translated to mean trustee, minder, custodian, guardian or keeper.
The understanding of Sovereignty in The Treaty of Waitangi and Kawanatanga in Te Tiriti o Waitangi caused similar problems but with far worse consequences and surely lessons have been learnt there. Like many other New Zealanders, many Maori want to ensure that we remain the kaitiaki of our precious resources so that they will continue to provide for all New Zealanders, our children and future generations to come.
The assets we sell will provide for no one but those who ‘OWN' them.

K. Clifton, Papamoa