Celebration or Flashpoint? Waitangi Day: February 6th
Deborah Swallow | February 10th, 2012 in : Australasia, days of significance, General
My good friends from 'down-under' - Holona & Trish Lui
New Zealand’s nationhood is both proudly acknowledged and embraced on Waitangi Day: the 6thof February. It marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 between the local Maori (NZ indigenous people) and the British Crown. Over the years the Treaty has been hailed and celebrated as a symbol of New Zealand’s nationhood; but, on the other hand, the Treaty is also condemned by those who seek to ignore and dismiss its provisions and obligations on the Crown to safeguard Maori rights to their language, culture, land and resources. This has meant that Waitangi Day is both a celebration of nationhood, and at times a flash point between the differing cultural values of Maori…
Waitangi Day a celebration or a flashpoint?
This has meant that Waitangi Day is both a celebration of nationhood, and at times a flash point between the differing cultural values of Maori, as Tangata Whenua, the people of the land, and some of the descendants from the dominant colonising settlers and migrants from other parts of the world. Historically these settlers have come predominantly from Britain and Europe.
The Tangata Whenua, are the guardians of the land, including its numerous resources above and below the earth, forests and sea. The Maori see it as their role to safeguard the land and its resources, as a treasure or Taonga, for future generations. Some among the settling groups tend to see the land as a resource whose treasures are to be owned and developed as part of progress and the generation of financial wealth.
The flash point comes with the tensions between the different notions towards ‘guardianship’ and ‘ownership’ of the land. There are differing cultural expectations around how the land and its resources should be best used, and the subsequent distribution of the financial wealth and gains that arise from that.
It is a tension that has parallels throughout history around the globe. However at its heart, Waitangi Day is the celebration of nationhood. It marks New Zealand’s birth as nation that provides a focal point for these tensions to be acknowledged. New Zealand is a democracy.
Waitangi Day is the celebration of a democratic nation that allows differing views to be freely shared, debated and discussed in peace.
Related articled: Waitangi Day
Holona Lui
Director
Catalyst Pacific Ltd
Hello, I'm Deborah Swallow and, for the last fifteen years, I've worked in over thirty countries addressing the complexities of people working internationally across multiple cultures, so individuals and organisations alike can gain an authentic competitive edge and win in international markets. 