Victoria staff make significant contribution to historic He Tohu exhibition
He Tohu consists of the Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand, the Treaty of Waitangi and the Women’s Suffrage Petition.
Associate Professor Peter Adds, from Te Kawa a Maui—the School of Māori Studies, was involved as a representative of the Port Nicholson Block Trust, Chairman of the Māori Technical Advisory Group, member of the Visitor Experience Group and Exhibition Content Group and now sits on the project board.
Associate Professor Adds says developing the wall text, which accompanies the three documents, was an interesting part of the process.
“We wanted the whole process to reflect the partnership between Māori and Crown and to interpret these documents in a way that would tell the story to the public. To that end, it was important to ensure the Māori story was told alongside that of the Crown.”
Paul Meredith, who is Pou Hautū (Executive Officer) to Victoria’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Māori), was tasked with developing the Māori background stories and the exhibition text for He Whakaputanga o te Rangitiratanga o Nu Tireni (the 1835 Declaration of Independence of the United Tribes of New Zealand) and Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi).
“They didn’t want a mere translation of English text, they wanted the Māori story from the perspectives of those rangatira (chiefs) who signed and, importantly, they wanted it in te reo Māori.”
Mr Meredith says writing the exhibition text in the Māori language allowed him to capture some of the Māori nuance that is not always captured well by the English language.
Dr Arini Loader, from the School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, worked on the Women’s Suffrage Petition, by assisting National Archives staff to write the exhibition text in English, as well as writing the text in te reo Māori. She says that working on the exhibition was a rewarding and exploratory process.
“It’s been a privilege to work on a project that so many people have a stake in. What those women did makes me feel as though struggling for women’s rights is worth it.”
Associate Professor Peter Adds, who has long been involved in Treaty education, believes the new exhibition will help facilitate more informed conversations on New Zealand’s constitutional history and future.
“The exhibition has also facilitated questions and dialogue on what these documents mean to New Zealanders. I want this exhibition to engage young people and to encourage them to think about what we do, and more importantly, do not know about the history of these documents and their purpose.
“I would really encourage people to go and have a look at the exhibition. The space it’s in has been architecturally designed and is a special place for three special documents.”
The National Library is also hosting a series of talks in association with He Tohu, featuring Victoria academics.
On Thursday 15 June Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Law Mark Hickford, Associate Professor Joel Colon Rios from the School of Law and Fiona Barker from the School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations will host Between sovereignty and government. They will discuss the meanings of sovereignty and government and their place in contemporary New Zealand, with reference to the political relationship between Māori and the Crown.
Dr Carwyn Jones and Susy Frankel from Victoria’s School of Law gave the talk Perfecting the Treaty partnership? on Tuesday 30 May. They examined the application of the Treaty of Waitangi and its principles to current legal and policy issues.
He Tohu is at the National Library of New Zealand, Molesworth Street, Wellington. The exhibition is open six days a week, 9-5pm and entry is free. For more information about He Tohu go to www.hetohu.nz