From Government House, Wellington, Sir Paul Reeves introduces this programme about how the Treaty of Waitangi has spoken, how it is speaking and what it can say for the future of our country.
A Treaty of Waitangi panel of guests are asked the following questions by Ian Johnston.
Do you think the Treaty is a binding document?
Dame Mira Szaszy - Former President of the Māori Women’s Welfare League.
“Yes, indeed I do, and that’s on the basis that the whole of this land Aotearoa belonged to the Māoris at the time, also they had the majority population and they were prepared to contract with the British Crown on sharing this land with British Nationalists.”
Chief Judge Eddie Durie - Waitangi Tribunal:
“For me there never was, and now never could be, any document to mark our national beginning, because that Treaty was conceived for no other purpose than to establish a new form of government here.”
Under International Law, is the Treaty a binding document?
Paul Temm QC: Lawyer and former member of The Waitangi Tribunal:
“If it hadn’t have been for the Treaty signed in the South Island, our country could have been very different, because the French immigrants were almost here. The warship certainly was and France could have had a New Caledonia in the South Island. The French didn’t accept the Treaty at first as you know and for 2 or 3 years there were arguments about it. The flag was finally accepted by the French at Akaroa in 1843 - they finally gave in because of the Treaty and internationally it was accepted as a binding document.”
Why are we still arguing about it so vigorously today?
CLAUDIA ORANGE - Historian:
“I think that there are many reasons why we are still talking about it, but to answer it I think you have to go back to 1840 when the Treaty was made. At that time both in England and in New Zealand there was a great deal of talk about the Treaty engineering a new start for race relations. People said the Treaty was going to give the Māori people a new deal, different from other colonies e.g.. Australia and with its well known history of the treatment of Aborigines there. Well, it’s my belief that the Treaty then formed a basis for an ideal of Nationhood you might say and of course the practice and reality has been very different for Māori and European. Firstly, Māori and British had very differing expectations of what would emerge from this new nation and since 1840 each race has tried to secure what they hoped for.”
Don Selwyn and Angela D’Audney visit Northland where early contact between Māori and European took place.
Other people who take part in Treaty discussions include: Trevor De Cleene;
Rob Cooper - National Council of Churches; Phillip Field; Peter Clark: One New Zealand Foundation; Anthony Williams - Descendant of Treaty Translator; Karl Stead - Writer;
Dennis O’Reilly - Gang Social Worker; Ian Wards - Former Government Historian;
Shane Jones - Ministry for the Environment; Hēkia Parata - Housing Corporation;
Chris Laidlaw; young New Zealanders; members of the public during the NZ 1990 Heylen Poll.