Back in 2014 I wrote some thoughts on Waitangi Day and was thinking about them seven years later while driving through Auckland on 181st anniversary of the Treaty.
So I thought I’d track down the old writings and provide a quick edit to (hopefully) update it for 2021.
Te Tiriti O Waitangi: Our Nation’s History
One hundred and eighty one years ago to this day, tucked away on a grassy Bay of Islands knoll, envoys from the British Empire met with chiefs and representatives of North Island Māori tribes. Huddled together in a marquee, they signed a document that frames the New Zealand we all know today.
In the one hundred and seventy four years since these men graced James Busby’s lawn, the Treaty of Waitangi has stood the tumultuous test of time. Sparking controversy almost as soon as the final signature was inked across its pages, it has been scorned, praised, ignored, thrown into a cellar, eaten by rats, proposed as supreme law, and transformed from text to principle.
Since 1947 there has been recognition of a need to memorialise the Treaty as an annual celebration. In 1960 the Waitangi Day memorial became a public holiday, or the Waitangi Day we now experience. In 1973, the Kirk Government felt we had reached a time to unify our Maori and Pākehā heritage and replaced Waitangi day with New Zealand Day. The change was short lived; Muldoon changed the day back to Waitangi Day in 1976. It has been held annually held ever since.
As we mark the passing of another Waitangi Day, it is important to reflect on what it means to us as a nation.
Some want it to be a celebration of our national genesis, while others more solemnly mark the day as one when sovereignty and partnership were confused and something was lost. For many, Waitangi Day will be an excuse for fun away from work; for others it will be a catalyst for protest.
Recent history has also shown Waitangi Day do be a flash point for argument, sometimes respectful, sometimes less so. Whether the more visceral throwing of mud or the semi-regular debate or speaking rights, politicians will often be at the centre of a Waitangi controversy.
Today’s Waitangi Day seems a more orderly and respectful affair. There are questions about the leave of speakers and there’s a bit of political argy bargy, but peaceful discussion appears to have won out.
But Waitangi means more than the politics of the day (something I think our politicians all do realise as they come together in a somewhat more collegial image that is perhaps the norm).
Waitangi has a special place for people. Over the years there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of people arriving at this hallowed place to voice their opinion. We have witnessed people protesting housing, employment, the foreshore and seabed, historical redress, and many more issues.
The nature of many of the protests is anti-establishment. There are facets of our society who feel the brunt of historical wrongs and demand redress. Frequently Waitangi is dominated by protesters demanding a government respect the Treaty, or at least give it a stronger voice.
In terms of what this means for a day of national celebration, I tend to think it is quite special. In this country we have a day marking the beginning of a shared national story.
Unlike the controversial and excessive images of Australia Day we have a day that evokes the passionate discourse that erupts on Waitangi ground.
We see people from all political stripes come to one place, stand shoulder to shoulder, and demand to be heard. We do not forget history, we demand it stays relevant. We don’t let silly things like a public holiday hold back from reminding us that we care about the state of our society.
Some people think it may have gone too far, and they are not necessarily wrong in the context of fireworks and hurled mud; but such is the nature of a day that allows so many to express what is most keenly felt to them.
What we see is something that truly encapsulates the New Zealand spirit and history of Waitangi. Waitangi was not a day that tribal leaders turned up to in agreement with Busby, Hobson, and the Crown. There was debate, there was anger, there was negotiation. We saw the representatives of the most powerful empire of the time sit under a marquee to explain their position and hear dissent.
As a nation New Zealand has never been happy to just accept the status quo. We sit at top of measures for happiness, freedom, safety. We have a phenomenal record on human rights. Our economy looks pretty good. As a nation we consistently strive to be better, to do better, and to help our communities more.
Waitangi is a day where the weight of that spirit is felt most acutely. We don’t mask our history, we protest because if it. We don’t have our leaders speak waffly, self-congratulatory speeches, we force them to defend their record.
We also see Waitangi being important for the opposition. There was a reason Brash went there, knowing his message of one law for all was not going to go down well. He felt compelled to defend himself at Te Tii marae. It has become important to look to Waitangi to gain legitimacy as a leader, as it is for us to look to Waitangi as the day we claimed legitimacy as a state.
Waitang 2021 has seen some limited controversy around the speaking rights of the Leader of the Opposition, Judith Collins. It’s not the first time (not the last time I’d wager) that speaking rights become the issue of the day. Interestingly, in 2014 Metiria Turei has become the first woman of a political party to give a speech on Te Tii marae, marking progress towards equality within a rich culture. Stuff reports that Marae kaumatua Rihari Takuira said it was
”evolution” as women did not normally speak. “She is a leader and a very, very fine leader, secondly she is a Maori leader,”
Takuira said that in the former case of Prime Minister Helen Clarke. being denied speaking rights, speaking would have been “premature”.
Waitangi shows here the ebb and flow of debate (regardless of the side you weigh in on).
Waitangi day will never be a day where we just forget what it is to be a New Zealander. It will always be a time to come together and voice our opinion, to feel the weight of the past and the presence of the future bearing down on us. The protests that go hand in hand at Waitangi are a celebration of what it is to be a New Zealander. Waitangi Day today takes us back one hundred and seventy four years and reminds us that we’re not done fixing this country yet.
