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The co-chair of the constitutional advisory panel says the role of the Treaty of Waitangi has emerged as one of the most critical questions to emerge from the constitutional conversation.
The panel has extended the closing date for submissions another month until the end of July.
Emeritus Professor John Burrows says there has been keen interest in the question of whether New Zealand should move to a written constitution.
That raises the question of whether the treaty between Māori and the Crown should be included in such a document.
"Some say yes. Some say however it's such an important document in its own right it should stay outside the constitution, as it is now really, and left to develop as New Zealand develops. So there are a lot of different views on that and some quite widely differing views but we really want to hear about that one as well because it's a mighty important question as New Zealand goes into the future, and the future will be different from now, what will the role of the treaty be and how to best protect it," Professor Burrows says.
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