Waitangi Day

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…