The rights Māori women derive from the Treaty of Waitangi result from their unique position as the bearers and protectors of life thereby gaining “specific rights through the assurances of kāwanatanga, tino rangatiratanga, and ōritetanga.”1 The Crown has a responsibility to not only protect Māori women’s interests and equality of outcomes but also to facilitate women’s tino rangatiratanga over their affairs. Many Māori women who held mana as political leaders of their hapū or iwi were signatories to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, thereby laying the foundations for mana wāhine rights being strongly positioned as Treaty rights. [2]

The purpose of this research is to report contemporary employment and education issues for wāhine Māori, investigating the effects of Cro n policies, practices, and legislation on employment and education outcomes for wāhine Māori from 1990 to 2020 (Appendix 1). I set out to examine contemporary employment and education issues affecting wāhine Māori, by providing contexts for understanding claimant allegations and lived experience when offered
in evidence to the Tribunal. This report, Toitū te Mana Wāhine, is structured as a literature review of research informed articles, reports, theses, ministerial documents, and statistical data as evidence for examining contemporary employment and education issues that affect wāhine Māori. There are many gaps in the existing research, sources and data. Too many to address in the time allowed for writing and submitting this report. However, such gaps could be the basis
for further research where no evidence currently exists. I point out the gaps where appropriate throughout the report.
(From the report). Record #9020.