ARETI Metuamate left his holiday in Dubai a week early to fly back to New Zealand so he could meet Prince William.
Despite this, the young Kiwi to watch out for doesn’t think the Prince should be our Head of State.
“We had a great time chatting with him and were the first to hongi him. He was very warm and skilled at creating conversation. But other than that, he is no Kiwi, and would not be suitable as our Head of State,” Metuamate says. “The Head of State of New Zealand can not be a born and bred New Zealander, isn’t that strange?”
Passionate about Maori issues and fluent in the language, Metuamate has recently moved to Canberra to study a Master of Diplomacy and Master of Strategic Affairs. Before that, he was a politics student at Victoria University.
“I spent every opportunity at Parliament or at the High Court watching, listening and learning about the law and politics,” he says. “I focused on meeting people who were involved in the law and politics and asking questions to the extent that politicians used to see me walk into a room and walk out the other door.”
Metuamate has already met Helen Clarke, John Howard and more, and has since travelled extensively, promoting New Zealand culture along the way.
For Waitangi Day this weekend, Metuamate will be in Canberra. That won’t stop him marking the occasion.
“I’ll be wearing my ‘I love Aotearoa New Zealand’ t-shirt, and that evening I’ll give my whanau a call and ask them what they did,” he says, adding, “I’ll probably post some Waitangi Day related message on Facebook.”
Unlike many of its critics, Metuamate believes that the Treaty of Waitangi was a good-will partnership between two distinct cultures.
“I think both sides were sincere and well meaning, but regrettably the partnership agreement was dishonoured by the Crown many times and in many different ways,” he says. “Waitangi Day for me is about recognising where we as a nation have come from, and it’s an opportunity for us to focus on where we want to be in the future.”
Part of that, he believes, is moving towards becoming an autonomous nation. He says many Kiwis don’t know enough about the Treaty, a document that he says should become vital if New Zealand were to become a republic.
“Why are we not talking about the role of the Treaty when we become a republic, which I predict is going to happen in our lifetime, and what role we think the Treaty should have in influencing our Government and constitution.”
Metuamate has been busy championing Maori and New Zealand issues since he got to Australia, and says he’s met many Australians who are interested in how Maori are doing in comparison to the Aboriginals.
“I am passionate about the need to have a good New Zealand-Australia relationship, and I am here to learn about ways we can strengthen it without losing any of our own sovereignty and becoming the next state of Australia,” he says.

Did you know?
The original Treaty of Waitangi is housed in Wellington in the Archives New Zealand building, and can be accessed during opening hours by the public.
Diana Coop is the manager for preservation services at Archives New Zealand, and makes sure the Treaty is in ideal conditions every day.
“At the moment it’s in the constitution room, which is a specially constructed room, and [the Treaty] is in an environment-controlled display case,” she says. “It needs to be in a cool and dry environment, and we need to control the lighting, because the ink is very sensitive – it’s over 140 years old.”
Coop describes her job as a “privilege”. “There’s a satisfaction that I’m doing something for future generations,” she says.