350 Aotearoa is guided by the four articles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in conjunction with He Whakaputanga o te Rangatiratanga o Nū Tīrene. We tautoko whānau, hapū and iwi assertions of mana motuhake and tino rangatiratanga. We recognise that hapū in Aotearoa never ceded sovereignty.

We recognise Mātauranga Māori is at the forefront of achieving climate justice in Aotearoa and our response to climate justice is guided, sustained and strengthened by the tangata whenua assertion of Tino rangatiratanga.

350 Aotearoa asserts that climate justice is only possible when whānau, hapū and iwi can realise kaitiakitanga and their aspirations for their rohe. We’re committed to working in right relationship with mana whenua. We commit to constitutional transformation by actively working towards the recommendations set out by Matike Mai Aotearoa – The Independent Working Group on Constitutional Transformation.

To demonstrate our commitment to the Matike Mai recommendations, we actively support wider movement work to reform the kāwanatanga (crown) sphere’, whilst supporting the expansion of the ‘rangatiratanga (tangata whenua) sphere’ which has yet to be recognised and respected by the crown. Working in right relationship means finding opportunities for appropriate collaboration, relationship building, and joint decision making processes, as we contribute towards the development of a functioning ‘relational sphere’.

350 Aotearoa is an organisation grown out of the international 350.org movement, on a journey of being rooted in this land in right relationship with whānau, hapū and iwi. We are an organisation that acknowledges, supports, and prioritises te ao Māori and te reo Māori in relationship to being manuhiri of this whenua.

We acknowledge the clear intersection of climate justice and Indigenous justice. The climate crisis is an intersectional issue that continues to uphold capitalist, colonial, white supremacist systems of oppression – and therefore disproportionately impacts marginalised communities.

Through our connection to the 350.org international community we stand in solidarity with Indigenous, frontline, and marginalised communities across the world. We prioritise relationships with others in 350 Oceania and uphold our responsibility to act in solidarity with our Te Moana-nui-a-kiwa neighbours and whānau.

For our 350 Board, staff, and volunteers living up to this commitment looks like:

Relationships: We prioritise relationship building with local Marae and kaupapa Māori initiatives and organisations. We do this through showing up to events such as environmental restoration days, working bees and land back occupations. In recent years we’ve actively decided to host our annual volunteer wānanga at marae.

Upskilling: We organise Te Tiriti Trainings for staff, volunteers and board members twice a year. We facilitate weekly Te Tiriti reflections in our core volunteer newsletter where we share resources and learning based on things we’ve read, watched, listened to and experienced.

Solidarity: We support the wider movement fighting for tino rangatiratanga and mana motuhake by speaking up, making submissions, offering movement support, and helping supporters understand the connected struggles. We show and act in solidarity by linking global justice struggles to those experienced in Aotearoa. We assess the impact of the solutions we advocate for on people and communities around the world to centre climate justice in our work.

In stating this commitment we know we will make mistakes, but we are committed to learning from these and making things right.