Treaty roadshow bombs in Auckland

Organisers of the Treaty of Waitangi roadshow that concludes a four-month tour of the country this weekend are hailing the exhibition as a success, despite poor attendance in Auckland.

The $1.2 million treaty roadshow - Treaty 2 U - developed by Te Papa, Archives New Zealand and the National Library of New Zealand and funded by the State Services Commission, ends on Sunday.

Launched in January, the exhibition has travelled in a purpose-built mobile exhibition trailer to 35 places.

Around 35,000 visitors are expected to have attended the exhibit which will conclude its tour at a ceremony at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

Project manager Kit O'Connor described the feedback from those who attended as "fantastic".

She said around 370 people visited the exhibit each day, well up on the 300 that organisers had predicted.

At Christchurch about 900 people flocked to the exhibition daily and Invercargill residents queued up even before it opened.

Ms O'Connor said that "Auckland was actually the only disappointment."

She speculated that the low turnout of 300 visitors per day in Auckland was caused by difficulty in finding a convenient central location, and because of stiff competition from other attractions in the city.

Other standout locations were Tauranga and Wellington, where between 500 and 600 visited each day.

Northland's Kaitaia mustered more than 400 when the tour visited this week.

Ms O'Connor said the exhibition was a hit with New Zealanders and also attracted keen interest from international visitors.

"We had high numbers of visitors from Australia, Canada and Britain, and other former colonies who had similar experiences."

She said the exhibit was also a popular destination for descendants of treaty signatories or of those who witnessed its signing to come forward and tell their stories.

"For some it was an emotional time, for others it was an enlightening experience."

The future of the exhibition is yet to be decided but a follow-up tour may be scheduled in the near future.