A former Waitangi Tribunal lawyer has joined forces with the National Library of NZ to help demystify common misconceptions of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Roimata Smail, author of pocket guide book Understanding Te Tiriti will be delivering a series of events to tell the public Te Tiriti is not complex and neither are its principles.
Smail (Ngāti Maniapoto) says the book is sharing information from the Waitangi Tribunal.
“It’s about writing that’s not controversial but doesn’t seem to have gotten through to most New Zealanders.
Understanding Te Tiriti o Waitangi is Roimata Smail’s love letter to years of dedication as a former Waitangi Tribunal lawyer. In the book she breaks down the simple principles of Te Tiriti of Waitangi for New Zealanders still coping to understand the basics.
‘Important, basic information’
“So I wanted to share that important, basic information that has been around for a while but hasn’t filtered through.”
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Chris Luxon announced the National part of the coalition government would not support ACT’s Treaty Principles Bill beyond its first select committee meeting, leading to many discussions on both versions without majority understanding.
“I think there is a lot of talk in New Zealand at the moment about Te Tiriti. People really need to understand it so they can form their own opinions.”
The Ngāti Maniapoto descendant will deliver lectures on Te Tiriti principles through the E oho! Waitangi series at the National Library of NZ, featuring many events to showcase the original texts of Te Tiriti and the Treaty.
The series will be held at the National Library for the remaining months of the year, and Smail hopes to see an increase in people’s understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
“I really want to give people the chance to access accurate information. I’m hoping from my perspective that people watch the recording of my talk. They can have a look at my book, and they come here to the National Library and visit our founding document, Te Tiriti o Waitangi.”
The series features many events live-streamed to showcase the original texts of Te Tiriti and the Treaty. The live streaming can be found on the National Library website, under Waitangi series.