June 08, 2015
Treaty resurgence under spotlight
Scholars, policy makers and iwi leaders will share their views on the modern resurgence of the Treaty of Waitangi at a three-day conference in Auckland next month.
The Treaty on the Ground: Dialogue and Difference. Crisis and Response, is organised by Massey University and Auckland War Memorial Museum.
Titled The Treaty on the Ground: Dialogue and Difference. Crisis and Response, the three-day conference at Auckland Museum and Massey’s Auckland campus in July will focus on how evolving interpretations of the Treaty have influenced New Zealand policy-making, institutions and communities.
Massey University Professor Michael Belgrave, who has worked on Waitangi Tribunal inquiries and settlement negotiations for almost 30 years, says New Zealand’s race relations were in crisis at the end of the 1970s, with land occupations, protests and the 1975 Maori Land March showing the extent of Maori anger at decades of land loss, social and economic marginalisation and cultural assimilation.
Five decades on, as historical settlements between iwi and the Crown reach their final stages, local and central government, business and the voluntary sector are moving into new relationships with Maori.
He says it's timely to discuss how we got here and to what extent these changes have resolved the grievances which were at the heart of Maori protest.
Panel discussion topics over two days include an overview of the Treaty’s impact since 1945; different conversations around the Treaty between 1975 and 1985; what the Treaty means for various organisations; and visions for the Treaty for the next 25 years.
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