Over the next couple of weeks Te Papa Tongarewa (in partnership with the New Zealand Centre for Public Law) will be hosting this year’s Treaty Debates, continuing the excellent series that has been an annual event since 2005 and has, each year, provided engaging discussions of Treaty of Waitangi issues. This year’s theme is ‘Evolution not Revolution’ and begins this Thursday with Professor Paul Spoonley and Dr Ranginui Walker considering the last 30-40 years of Māori activism. The following week will see Professor Mason Durie and Colin James discussing the Treaty of Waitangi and the state. Both sessions will be chaired by Claudia Orange. The debates are well worth attending if you are in Wellington. Further information about the debates can be found on the Te Papa website.
The debates will also be broadcast on Radio New Zealand National. Paul Spoonley and Ranginui Walker’s session will be broadcast after the 4pm news on Sunday, 31 January and repeated after the 9pm news on Tuesday, 2 February. Mason Durie and Colin James; session will be broadcast after the 4pm news on Sunday, 7 February and repeated after the 9pm news on Tuesday, 9 February. I understand that video recordings of the debates will be made available on the Te Papa website. Recordings of many of the debates from previous years can be found there too and podcasts are available on the National Radio website.
