Treaty Thoughts

I've had a quick look at Gareth Morgan's 'Talk Treaty' website and some thoughts have come to mind. (Haven't looked through it all yet.)
I suggest that we ought to distinguish between the overlapping categories of Māori culture and people as an ethnicity in New Zealand society and the ‘constitutional status’ of the tangata whenua of Aotearoa represented in the Treaty through tino rangatiratanga. 
The former is to do with the experience of a population of people in New Zealand who were and are socially and culturally constructed in the face of ‘Pākehā’. This is an ethnic and cultural group called ‘Māori’ who have a shared experience of Aotearoa-New Zealand in the 19th-21st centuries.
The latter, on the other hand, refers to the entire continuum of indigeneity-tangata whenuatanga first established during arrival from Polynesia, recognised in the Treaty of Waitangi (in tino rangatiratanga) and in a state of renewal today. This continuum is based upon a set of ideas, values, philosophies, practices, a worldview.
These two categories and identities are not the same – although they clearly overlap. 
It is clear that there are some who only see 'Māori' as an ethnicity, an ethnic minority, a mere interest group alongside others in New Zealand society. The notion that tino rangatiratanga and tangata whenuatanga as a 'constitutionally' (i.e. Treaty) supported set of philosophies and practices about how to run our nation has yet to arrive in their minds. Furthermore, the idea that tino rangatiratanga (and tangata whenuatanga) is for all New Zealanders (just as Kāwanatanga is) doesn't seem yet to be considered a possibility. (I suspect that if it is thought of at all, the assumption is made that tino rangatiratanga must immediately be in conflict with Kāwanatanga.)
And so we hear well meaning discussions about how to address 'Māori problems' and we are yet to really get to the opportunities offered by the Treaty, tino rangatiratanga, tangata whenuatanga etc.
BTW - congratulations to Gareth Morgan and co for supporting discussion on this topic!
www.treatytalk.org.nz

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