New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has promised changes that she hopes will reduce inequality for the country's indigenous Maori in a historic speech marking Waitangi Day.
The 37-year-old became the first female prime minister to be granted the right to speak during the traditional Maori welcoming ceremony held at a Maori meeting house in Waitangi.
The small settlement on the tip of the North Island is where the country's founding document, a treaty between Maori chiefs and the British Crown, was signed on February 6, 1840.
"I do not take lightly the privilege extended to me to speak from the veranda today, not only as prime minister but as a wahine (woman)," she said.
The Labour leader spoke about the inequalities that still existed between Maori and the rest of the population.
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There was unemployment and poverty that existed among whanau (family) and rangatahi (youth), Ardern said.
She also raised access to mental health services and the rate of Maori incarceration as important issues.
"So long as this (inequality) exists, we have failed in our partnership. But I inherently believe in our power to change," she said.
The Labour politician, who is pregnant with her first child, urged the assembly of Maori dignitaries to hold her accountable for her work.
"Because one day, I want to be able to tell my child that I earned the right to stand here, and only you can tell me I have done that," she said.
About 15 per cent of New Zealand's population identify as Maori.
DPA
