Treaty knowedge increasing, especially among young

The number of New Zealanders who say they have a good or reasonable knowledge of the Treaty of Waitangi is increasing, according to research released by the Human Rights Commission.

The survey, released to coincide with Race Relations Day, found 42 per cent of New Zealanders said they knew a lot or a reasonable amount about the treaty, an increase from 36 per cent in a similar survey in September 2002.

The telephone survey, carried out last month, questioned 750 people aged 18 years and over.

It found that New Zealanders aged under 30 had higher levels of knowledge about the treaty than other groups.

Almost three quarters of Maori said they knew a lot or a reasonable amount about the treaty, compared with 39 per cent of non-Maori.

Human Rights Chief Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan said a number of factors had helped contribute to increased public knowledge about the treaty.

"There has been extensive public dialogue about the treaty and this has led to people wanting more information. There have also been education programmes in schools and extensive public education about the treaty, involving a website, booklets and the Treaty 2U initiative."

The survey also found there was strong overall agreement - 66 per cent agree, 12 per cent disagree - to the statement that "in addition to having the same rights as all New Zealanders, Maori have the right to live as Maori".

Ms Noonan said this seemed to indicate a stronger degree of support, for example, for the availability of te reo Maori and other cultural protection and development programmes.

- NZPA