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Waitangi Day 2025 Message from ANZSOG Dean and CEO Caron Beaton-Wells

5 February 2025

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The New Zealand Government has been a member government of ANZSOG since our inception in 2002. Our work in Aotearoa New Zealand is an important aspect of our mission to enhance public governance that people trust across our ten member jurisdictions. 

In keeping with that mission is the acknowledgement of the strength and depth of Māori and Australian First Nations culture, and the importance of building trust and relationships between governments and First Nations and Māori communities.  

On 6 February Aotearoa New Zealand will observe Waitangi Day, the national day that commemorates the signing of modern Aotearoa’s foundation document 185 years ago – Te Tiriti O Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi).  

Waitangi Day is commemorated as a public holiday with official, community and whanau (family) events across Aotearoa New Zealand which highlight and celebrate Māori culture and the relationships and partnerships between Māori and Pākehā (non-Māori). 

The Treaty of Waitangi was signed by the British Crown andapproximately 540 Māori Rangatira (Chiefs) in 1840 at Waitangi, Northland and aimed to protect the rights of Māori to keep their land, forests, fisheries and taonga (treasures). Two versions of the Treaty exist, one in English and one in Te Reo Māori, and the differences between the two have been a source of contention. 

The Treaty is a living document that shapes the relationship between Māori and the Crown. Waitangi Day has become a day not only to commemorate the signing of the Treaty, but also to reflect on the ongoing journey of reconciliation, justice, and understanding between Māori and Pākehā. 

The establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal in 1975 provided a legal framework for Māori  to have breaches of the Treaty principles of partnership, participation, and protection heard in court, predominantly related to the loss of land and claims for restitution by Māori. 

Since 1987, more than 2,000 claims have been lodged with the Tribunal, and major settlements have been reached recognising the claims of many iwi (tribes). Other settlements are still in negotiation. These settlements have served as the basis for partnerships between the Crown and Māori, and for iwi to gain recognition and compensation, as well as to build economic independence for their people. 

The principles of the Treaty are now incorporated into the laws of Aotearoa New Zealand and the work of the Aotearoa New Zealand public service.  

While there is currently debate within Aotearoa New Zealand about the future of the Treaty, it remains a highly significant document, and an opportunity for those of us in Australia to see the value of a different approach to relations between Government and First Nations. 

I saw firsthand the strength of Māori culture and feeling for the Treaty’s significance when I visited Wellington last year during the hikoi (protest march), which saw at least 40,000 people of all ages march peacefully to the New Zealand Parliament, to demonstrate against a Bill aimed at reducing the status of the Treaty.  

To all our Aotearoa New Zealand colleagues, alumni and friends, we wish you all a meaningful and reflective day with family and friends. 

Further information about Waitangi Day’s history can be found on the NZ Government website, for deeper reading on the Māori perspective on Waitangi Day, this list contains ten suggestions for Māori-written non-fiction.