Letter to the Editor Thursday February 5, 2015

At the crossroads

It is 20 years since the treaty settlement process began in earnest. Settlements have gone some way to right the wrongs, and build Maori community strength. The post-settlement world holds great promise for iwi, and for the country as a whole.

Every year, however, debate over Waitangi Day and the need for a new national day surfaces. Government moves this year on the issue of the national flag will raise the issue again. There is a degree of unease over settlements, and Waitangi Day brings it to the fore.

New Zealanders' interest in the Treaty claims and settlements process has always fluctuated. Despite information on the Treaty and settlements being widely available on websites and in publications, community understanding still varies.

There is no shortage of good information out there. In 2004, the government's Treaty education website got 1.8 million hits in its first 11 days. There have been exhibitions, books, articles and public forums. But there is a surprising resistance to delving into this information. This is holding many New Zealanders back from realising a growing sense of emerging nationhood, based on better knowledge of our history.

As if to anticipate the world the next generation of New Zealanders will inherit, in 2011 the Tribunal released its WAI 262 report - Ko Aotearoa Tenei: This is New Zealand. The report deals with contemporary issues and looks to New Zealand's future. After historical grievances are settled, what might the Treaty relationship become?

While the projected ending of historical settlements brings some resolution of the past, their long-term strength is also in providing a new beginning for iwi, regions, and the country as a whole. The benefits and impact on New Zealand will be considerable as a new Maori economy emerges, and our population changes its make-up.

It is not surprising that the report viewed the country as being at a crossroads. It challenged us to define our unique identity and to be confident and courageous in being ourselves. In a sense we are still poised at the crossroads, hesitant in taking new steps into the future.

Each year Waitangi Day gives us the chance to reflect on this. And it is also a time to recall the coming together of two strong cultures to found a new nation in 1840. At that time neither side knew how it would work out, and each had different aspirations and plans.

We are still working on that relationship - like most relationships, it needs caring for. That care must come through a union of hearts and minds within our nation. After all, we are all on the same waka, and our challenge is to learn how to paddle together.

DAME CLAUDIA ORANGE

Head of Research

Te Papa