Treaty of Waitangi

Te Kōpuka (the strategy group for Te Awa Tupua) chairman Gerrard Albert said the Treaty was relevant “every single day”, not just once a year. “If politicians ...

“Could there be more? “We need a mechanism to bring us back together again. I think so, but there is a growing awareness of the importance of Tikanga and Te Ao Māori.” A reminder of that is the Treaty of Waitangi.” “What the Treaty is about, and what Māori rights are about, is the ability to actually practice governance and participate in a way that is good for all.” “If politicians and the country as a whole can really grasp that point, I think we’ll be in a much better place,” he said.

Questions of sovereignty, inequality and New Zealand history hang in the background as political speeches foreshadow a future in which relationship with ...

Overall, the weekend marked the latest iteration of a shift in tone for Waitangi – the political heat of the day mostly muted in favour of more genteel panel discussions, shared food, dancing and music. Crowds gathered in the early morning darkness for a dawn service to greet the sunrise. That process “settles claims forever” and “brings an end to grievance”, he said, promising to try and settle all claims in the next seven years. “Much of the contemporary debate, unfortunately, is still characterised by a degree of uncertainty and fear. There was “a lot of anxiety amongst non-Māori New Zealanders about what treaty settlements might mean, and what the ongoing relationship between the crown and Māori might mean,” he said, but that was unnecessary. But with an election approaching, where shared governance with Māori is emerging as a flashpoint issue, political questions of race and Indigenous sovereignty continued to rise to the surface.

Today's Doodle celebrates Waitangi Day, Aotearoa New Zealand's national day. This marks the anniversary of the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Waitangi Day is a time for the nation to acknowledge the ongoing challenges faced by Maori in New Zealand, and to recommit to working towards a more just and equitable society for all New Zealanders. The day is also significant as a celebration of New Zealand’s unique national heritage and cultural identity, and a time for all New Zealanders to reflect on the country’s shared history and future aspirations. It is a time for New Zealanders to reflect on their shared history and cultural heritage, and to celebrate the unique national identity of the country.

Ngati Hine chair Waihoroi ("Wasi") Shortland and the Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, hongi during the formal welcome to the political leaders. The politics of ...

“ “It’s a disgrace. It will deliver significantly higher rates for households, and I’m not willing to just stand back and say, well, that’s a council problem to deal with.” “We may not have fixed cancer, but we must have made efforts to fix the factors that we are in control of, and that gives us the differences. “As we listen to politicians and we see our dreams and aspirations of that which was promised to our ancestors in 1840 crushed by an endless stream of politicians do we use Waitangi as a springboard for development so that we can work together as a united people with prosperity and equity for all?” he said. It’s disgusting. “That’s the nature of nationhood; that it continues to evolve, and the arc continues to go forward,” he said. “I listened to each of them (the political leaders) stand before us this morning and affirm their ongoing commitment to the Treaty that gave the earliest Pakeha settlers in this country a licence to live here, and they parroted the importance of the relationship,” he said. “It means working together to deal with the challenges that we all face and to secure the future prosperity of everybody that lives here.” “I would hope that by 2030, complete treaty settlements with all iwi that are willing to settle, then it will be possible to declare the tremendous national reconciliation project of treaty settlements that began in the 1990s is complete,” he said. “But the question remains; who was it that shifted who was it and who moved away; who was it?” “But it also must come with an acknowledgement that the resolution of historic grievances is not the end of the matter; that the commitment that we made to working together 183 years ago will endure long beyond the treaty settlement process, and we have to continue to give life to that commitment.