Photo / NZ Herald
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi will take part in a Cambridge Union debate in the UK on Friday morning (NZ time) on whether the 'Commonwealth still serves a purpose'.
Founded in 1815, the Cambridge Union is the oldest continuously running debating society in the world.
Waititi will be one of a small handful of Aotearoa MPs, including former prime minister Helen Clark and the late Georgina Beyer, to have addressed the society.
He is on the team opposed to the Commonwealth, which includes Cambridge University student Jonty Yin who was part of the UK's team for the European Youth Parliament.
“The Commonwealth was built on the stolen wealth and blood of indigenous nations. It is the throne from which the Crown maintains white supremacy globally,” Waititi said in a release on Thursday.
“The British Crown has rained war upon every continent on earth and has inherited power through theft and genocide. It continues to be in illegal occupation of hundreds of indigenous nations throughout the world, directly and through its successor colonial governments.”
Waititi will go up against UK Conservative MPs Andrew Mitchell and Shailesh Vara and outgoing Cambridge Union president James Appiah.
“The legacy of this Crown has been genocidal. King Charles is now the figurehead of the world’s largest, longest, and most politically supported terrorist organisation," Waititi said.
“The one thing all Commonwealth nations have in common with each other is our oppressor. We will no longer be defined on their terms.”
Te Pāti Māori will livestream the debate across its social media platforms at 7am on Friday.