(no subject)
This day commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, an agreement formed in 1940 between the chiefs of a number of Iwi (Maori tribes), and the British crown. The English version of this treaty basically gave the British crown sovereignty in NZ, while recognising Maori land rights. Thus the day is both a celebration of New Zealand’s nationhood, and also the importance of Maori as the first settlers in New Zealand (It is estimated that Maori arrived in NZ around 1000CE, while Europeans did not make contact until the 17th century).
Both of these aspects of the day are further complicated by the historical and current problems with the treaty. Firstly, the crown did not fully honour the treaty for years - it can be argued it still isn’t doing so fully today, though attempts are certainly being made, both with treaty settlement over land claims occurring and on going attempts to better integrate the ‘spirit’ of the treaty into government policy. Furthermore there are significant and highly debated differences in the wording of the Maori and English versions of the treaty, making it difficult to interpret exactly.
Enough background - What does this mean today? Well, we have a national holiday which feels slightly schizophrenic in nature. Every year there are Maoris sovereignty protests, particularly centred around Waitangi (the place the treaty was signed). There are also many people who use the day as a nice family day. Still more take the opportunity to attend concerts and activates - many but not all of which include some acknowledgment or celebration of Maori culture.
For myself I like that we have this day, not some other national day. Another day (an often discussed option) would be potentially less controversial, but would also ignore our origins, and the importance of our continueddifferences . Yes, this day in many ways shows some of the worst aspects of NZ - the poor treatment of Maori. But to me it is about hope. Hope that one day people won’t feel that they need to protest - because their grievances will have actually been properly addressed. Hope that NZ will remember the many places we have come from all over the world. Hope that we will also recall that we now all live in the pretty awesome country. I’m going to gig tonight. I’m having a picnic with my family first, and I expect to see many of my friends there too. All the acts are Kiwi. They bands contain people with ancestry from (I think) every continent except Antarctica. We’ll all be there, enjoying the lovely weather and better music. To me, that’s the best of NZ and Waitangi day.