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Why we Write Submissions
By: Te Taiawatea Moko-Painting
The political climate in Aotearoa is violent. And we should be far more alarmed than we are. Too many of us scroll past the chaos unfolding in the US and think, “Far out, that’s wild,” when Trump moves to dismantle civil rights or overturn environmental protections.
But here’s the thing, that same playbook is being used here to uphold colonial power, concentrate wealth, and silence dissent.
We are watching a government systematically undermine the rights of Māori, while rolling back decades of progressive policies that our tīpuna fought for. Legislation is being pushed through under urgency, with select committees bypassed and consultation gutted.
This article is about writing submissions. At its core, a submission is a written response to decisions that are often already well underway. While it may feel like a final tick-box in their process, it can still be a powerful tool.
So why is it important to write submissions?
By:
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke's response to the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill (2024). Courtesy: Guardian News YouTube Channel
Because we can influence decision-making
Your one submission is an act of resistance. Even if you’re not sure it will make a difference, it’s still a declaration: I see what’s happening. I don’t agree. And here’s why.
Your lived experience and knowledge matter. Together, our stories become a collective force.
Take the Treaty Principles Bill as an example. The number of submissions opposing it was massive, yes, but it wasn’t just the numbers. It was the quality. The weight. The rigour. Submissions came from legal experts, hapū, whānau, students, kaumātua, all bringing different angles, but unified in resistance.
That kind of collective response creates pressure. It forces fence-sitters to make a choice. It gives political cover to those who need it. And it sharpens the accountability for those who refuse to listen.
Ok, so what if it still goes ahead?
Recent coverage on the number of submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill (2025). Courtesy: Stuff YouTube Channel
Because we are creating a public record of refusal
Even if our voices are ignored, they are still recorded. When thousands submit against a bill, it becomes harder for the Crown to claim consensus. Our voices are on the record, archived for future challenges, reviews, legal action, and whakapapa. They show we didn’t sit quietly while harm was being done.
Take the example of my Koro, Tā Hirini Moko Mead. In 1986, Section 71 of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 still allowed for the possibility that:
“Her Majesty may cause laws, institutions, or customs of the aboriginal or native inhabitants... to be maintained for the government of themselves.”
This was a legal acknowledgment that Māori self-government could exist within the constitutional framework. Though barely enacted and mostly ignored, the section remained.
During Geoffrey Palmer’s constitutional reforms in the 1980s, Section 71 was quietly repealed, over the Christmas break, without consultation. My Koro was the only person to submit against it. His submission is part of our whakapapa. It shows that, at a pivotal moment, we made a stand, and that record still exists.
Ok, but how do submissions change things today?
Tā Hirini Moko Mead. Courtesy: Huia Publishers.
Because decisions that impact us cannot be made without us
Every submission reminds the Crown of what it would prefer to forget: decisions about us cannot be made without us. It also reminds us that we do not have to navigate this system alone. Submitting can be collective. It can be grounded in tikanga. It can be a space of wānanga and solidarity.
You can submit as a whānau, a hapū, an iwi, a community rōpū, or simply as yourself. And there are people out here making it easier. Templates, guides, shared resources all of it is being created so our voices can rise together, without burnout.
If you’re looking for help or want to plug into others already doing the mahi, check out:
They're part of a growing network working to make the submission process more accessible and community-led.
Ok, what else can we do to influence policy and legislation?
Because our voices matter and we need to carry that same energy to the voting booth
We also have to vote. Voting is about shaping the policies that will influence our lives.
Māori make up about 15% of the voting population. Our rangatahi (youth), now representing more than 20% of the Māori population, are becoming more politically engaged every year.
When we vote, we help elect people who will defend Māori rights, challenge colonial frameworks, and advocate for a more equitable Aotearoa.
Voting in national and local elections matters. Every vote we cast adds to our collective power, whether it’s electing Māori MPs to challenge unjust laws, or nominating council representatives who understand our whānau needs and aspirations.
Turnout for the 2023 General Election (70.3% Māori descent; 78.8% non-Māori descent. Courtesy: figure.nz.
Is this where we find our sovereignty?
Submitting is not where we find sovereignty, it’s where we assert it.
We are not asking for permission to exist. We are asserting our right to be heard, to protect our futures. Submitting is part of a long game of resistance.
Matike Mai Aotearoa reminds us that sovereignty isn’t something we seek from the Crown, it’s something we already hold. But it’s also something we must continually assert, in both big and small ways. Writing submissions is one way. But the most important work is still at home. On the whenua, with our whānau, and within our communities. That's where we continue to nurture, to heal, and to plan for a future that we build ourselves.
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So yes, it’s important to write submissions. But in this environment, we also need to look after ourselves. Use your voice and your words to make a stand, but don’t let it take away from what means the most: our whakapapa.
At the end of the day, the work we’re doing now is for our future, for our tamariki, our taiao, our communities. Every submission, every moment of engagement, adds to a long history of resilience and resistance. We don’t need to carry the weight alone, we can do this together, step by step, making space for each other to rest and rise when needed.
So, keep showing up in the ways that you can.
And if you’ve made it this far, ka pai now please go and submit against the Regulatory Standards Bill.