Honouring the Treaty of Waitangi: Are the Parties Measuring Up?
AbstractA brief overview of the New Zealand Government's many changes of direction in recent years concerning the Treaty of Waitangi shows that generally Crown policies have been formulated in response to political events of the day. There has been a lack of a clear sense of the long-term goals being sought or an understanding of the totality of colonial history and its impact on Maori. The author is pessimistic that those on both Crown and Maori sides of the Treaty research and settlement relationships will be able to unlock themselves from the present ungenerous adversarial approach endemic in the Treaty settlement 'industry'. At the end of the day, the Crown continues to control the processes and the outcomes for the settlement of Treaty of Waitangi claims. Is this something that Maori will be prepared to accept in the long term? |