te tiriti o waitangi

[labellementeuse]

Today was Waitangi Day, which commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, February the 6th, 1840.

I didn't think much about the Treaty today, except when I walked past the festival at Waitangi Park in Wellington - the first time, I think, there's been any kind of celebration in Wellington (there's always a big thing at Waitangi marae, of course.) I do know celebrating it is not always considered kosher. The Treaty of Waitangi was supposed to do three things: 1. give sovreignty to the British crown, 2. guarantee Maori land rights and customary rights and taonga and 3. guarantee Maori equal rights as citizens. Of course, it's kind of tough to say exactly what the Treaty was supposed to do since it was not translated all that well.

We didn't manage to live up to it all that well. The Waitangi Tribunal, which is supposed to investigate breaches of treaty and make reparations where appropriate, is normally pretty busy. Ironically, some Pakeha begin to feel hard done by, since (apparently) this makes Maori more privileged. I don't need to tell any of you that, with Maori persistently over-represented in poor health, poverty and crime stats, that simply isn't true. We can do better.

I don't know if I would call the treaty our constitution. Maybe our founding document. But I believe in the treaty principles and their active application in everyday life. I believe biculturalism is vital to New Zealand (and so is multiculturalism.)

That's really all. I'm not smart about this and I'm not very educated but I know it is important and I want to acknowledge that.



Instead of being real thinky though, today I went to the beach, got sunburnt, swam, drank wine and ate junk food and walked for two hours. I had a great time and I'm really going to miss Welly when I go back to Christchurch this Saturday.

Comments

[amarynth.livejournal.com]

I seem to remember that during the late 90s, when the government wasn't prepared to face up to the criticisms levelled at them at Waitangi, they fled back down to Wellington and held the 'official' celebration, ie the one the PM went to, in Parliament. This happened in 1998 and 1999. Apparently it stopped while I was overseas.

There was a tradition in one ancient middle eastern state that the King, who was an absolute ruler for all but one day of the year, had to, on that day, walk through the marketplace without bodyguards and was not allowed to act against anybody who insulted him on that day. Sometimes it seems that Waitangi is a similar sort of thing for our governments - it's the one day of the year when they have to front up to the disatisfaction the people of New Zealand show for their colonialist policies. In an ideal world, every day should be such a day.

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

Oh well, whatever, it's the first one I've been to. It wasn't formal or anything, I mean, I think there were speeches (I didn't stick around) but it was basically a big festival - there were farmers markets there and shaved ice and candy floss and kapa haka groups. All that good stuff. :D

You know, I have to regretfully disagree - I don't think we're any more honest with our politicians on Waitangi Day. I think, sometimes outside Waitangi, if people are really angry, then yeah, that's true. But I think mostly people aren't angry enough to disturb the status quo (eg: throwing mud.) :-/

[amarynth.livejournal.com]

Hmm, well it's hard to divine the intent of most people, but I think that if we got to see politicians face to face in a forum which invites people to share their grievances, they'd hear a lot more about the bad they did then good.

[stopthefuss.livejournal.com]

I have to be honest with you, while watching all the news reports today about Maori embracing the National party politics and politians half hearted promises and attempts of a more "bicultural/Maori friendly future" I think I may have vomitted a little in my mouth. To me it smells like the beginnings of a modern day Waitangi.

I don't know whether you watched the news at all tonight (you were probably living it up in Wellington BTW JEALOUS!!!) but John Key had the smuggest look in his face when talking about his invitation to speak at the dawn speeches, etc. I could almost see him patting himself on the back.

But hey, who am I but a liberal little weenie who wants to make everyone happy. I mean it's not like THAT IS THE IDEAL OF DEMOCRACY or nothing.

It's apparently all about harsher sentencing in our already prison happy country.

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

Oh well, the Nats always make me want to vomit. :P So I didn't notice anything particular (and yeah, I missed the news, heheh.) On the other hand I don't think it's completely useless, I think there is a genuine desire of at least some politicians to do better.

Probably not John Key, though. Hello, abolishing the Maori seats? Sigh. >.> I prefer Key to Brash but he hasn't exactly won me over, put it that way.

Hah. :-/ There's a good article in the dom post today about a Vic Uni prof who says that New Zealand has basically succumbed to something called penal populism - irrational public desire for longer, tougher sentences, even when it's inappropriate.

[stopthefuss.livejournal.com]

About that article - yup it's true. We have been that way for as long as I can remember (research wise - i ain't been alive long enough to know) but it has definately picked up start 1990's. We're right up there with the United States and that is saying something considering their crime rate is sooo much worse than ours (once again research + stats).

It's funny because you look around New Zealand and you don't realise really what's going on under the surface. It's all very murky and scary once you start poking inside ppl's minds. Their first response is to punish, never to rehabilitate. To isolate them from society because they're not worthy, not to give them help and teach them to be a better/more productive member of society. We're not a very forgiving bunch even though the legal system came around as a means to abolish "revenge" and "punishment" to a certain degree.

For the reoffenders, or first time offenders of serious crimes the worst thing you can do is isolate them and surround them with like minded "peers". They need to be around people who make them realise the impact their actions have and to see how society - the rest of the society - deals with it and deals in general in an everyday manner after the crime is said and done. That I firmly believe is more of a wake up call to them than prison.

Once again, I am branded a liberal weenie for my views. "I like to hug trees and dance around rose bushes, eating wild berries and running barefeet in the forest .. high on marijuana". Obv I don't know anything about the "real world" and "the way it ACTUALLY functions".

[mandor700.livejournal.com]

Haha theres always One Love which is by and large a much more pleasurable event!
And to be cynical the main impetus for the treaty was to give someone the ability to conrol the drunkeness and debauchary in the BoI.
It isnt realy a constitution though it has constitutional aspects, mainly its cool because it made New Zealand the first country to have freedom of religion, which is where my main respect for it comes from.