Diverse opinions on Treaty

SMILES: Tirau Te Tau, dressed in period costume, smiles at a presenter's joke.

With a topic as divisive as the Treaty of Waitangi, 17 slides at 17 seconds apiece doesn't seem like much.

Aratoi art museum hosted a Korero Iti, a lively good-natured panel discussion on what the Treaty means for Wairarapa.

The event was part of Wairarapa's celebrations to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi 175 years ago.

Around 70 people packed into Aratoi's auditorum to hear 10 speakers give their five-minute view on the Treaty, with 17 PowerPoint slides.

Ra Smith, Ngati Kahungunu ki Wairarapa, as first presenter, said the Treaty was about celebrating the "weaving" of people, but suggested Maori had not been woven into New Zealand society.

He invited the audience to reflect on a slide showing the index of deprivation, with Masterton in the red in multiple areas.

"Maori are value-added to a community," he said.

Historian Murray Hemi, from Treaty Settlement Stories, Ministry of Culture and Heritage, stressed how the Treaty was signed "in good faith" but said the subsequent confusion over its meaning was like gender confusion, or "cross-dressing".

Other speakers included Masterton Mayor Lyn Patterson, Trust House board member Mena Antonio, newly minted New Zealand resident Anna Rossiter-Stead and Wairarapa Archive historian Gareth Winter.

Sam Rossiter-Stead, Master of Ceremonies, said there were 10 different viewpoints, from the youngest at 15, right through to community leaders.

"All very different, young and old."

He said all were united in that the treaty was as relevant now as it was when it was signed, "or even more relevant today".

Aratoi director Alice Hutchinson said it was the beginning of "some very important dialogue around cultural redress".