February 14, 2017
He Tohu will unleash treaty information
The opening of a exhibition space in May will bring with it a flood of new information about some of New Zealand's foundation documents.
He Tohu principal Maori advisor Hinerangi Himiona says the project to show the original 1835 He Whakaputanga Declaration of Independence, the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi and the 1893 Women's Suffrage Petition in a purpose-built document room at the National Library in Wellington is on track.
In keeping with the spirit of the documents, officials and archivists have been working closely with iwi and with women's groups.
There will also be a new web site and new education resources developed for both mainstream and Maori medium schools.
"We don't have enough in our education system about Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Very few people know what He Whakaputanga is, and we should be celebrating the women's suffrage movement and petition. We're very excited about getting that information and those resources out to our young people," Ms Himiona says.
He Tohu opens at the National Library on May 19.
FULL INTERVIEW WITH HINERANGI HIMIONA
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