Kia ora and welcome to A Kiwi Perspective. I’m Graham and today we turn our gaze across the Tasman to Australia — a country that carries a heavy burden of history, cultural erasure and the ongoing fight for justice by its First Nations people. While our shared history in the Pacific Ocean has brought similarities between New Zealand and Australia, there is one glaring difference: Australia has never had a treaty with its Indigenous people. And the implications of this absence are felt in every facet of Aboriginal life.

Aotearoa, by contrast, at least has the Treaty of Waitangi — signed in 1840 — which is both a legal and moral foundation for Māori as tangata whenua, the people of the land. This treaty has not been without its flaws, and the relationship it facilitates is still an ongoing negotiation, but it remains a symbol of acknowledgment and a framework for dialogue. Australia, however, has yet to reckon with its past to the same extent. For Aboriginal Australians, their relationship with the state is often defined by silence, dispossession, and the lack of recognition.

Today, we’re diving deep into this issue, looking at the state of Aboriginal affairs through a Kiwi perspective — one that is shaped by both the successes and the ongoing struggles of Māori in New Zealand. I’ll also turn to one of the most eloquent and controversial figures in the debate on Aboriginal affairs: Stan Grant.