18 May 2005

Budget 2005

Treaty exhibition to tour

State Services Minister Trevor Mallard announced today that the State Services Commission’s Treaty of Waitangi information unit, the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Archives New Zealand, and the National Library of New Zealand are joining together to create a major touring exhibition focusing on the Treaty of Waitangi.

The mobile exhibition is anticipated to start early in the new year. It will visit 35 locations around New Zealand, where it is estimated over 250,000 people will see it.

The government contribution to develop and stage the exhibition is $1.2 million (GST inclusive), consisting of a $990,000 grant from the State Services Commission, and $210,000 from Te Papa, Archives New Zealand and the National Library of New Zealand.

“The exhibition will be centred on the Treaty of Waitangi, and its associated stories and history. It will be entertaining and educational and will ensure a better understanding of what many consider to be the founding document of our country," Trevor Mallard said.

“The outstanding community response to the recent establishment of the tomb of the unknown warrior and record attendances at ANZAC day ceremonies indicates that New Zealanders are increasingly interested in historical events that shaped our nation.

"In a survey commissioned by the State Services Commission’s Treaty of Waitangi information unit, 57 percent of New Zealanders said that greater knowledge about the Treaty would help many New Zealanders have a better understanding of our country and its history.

“The exhibition will run in tandem with a series of community discussions about the place of the Treaty in contemporary New Zealand. There will be approximately 30 dialogues held around the country, starting in October and covering most regions.”

Today also marks the launch of phase two of the Treaty of Waitangi website, www.treatyofwaitangi.govt.nz. This phase includes greater information on the history of the Treaty of Waitangi, including case studies, descriptive maps, and the sections titled “The story of the Treaty” and “quotes” now contain information up to 1990.

“We all expect relevant information to be online and available in our homes, schools, marae, libraries and work places. This website ensures all New Zealanders have access to factual and balanced information on the Treaty of Waitangi. Many different historians have contributed to, and reviewed, the new content on the website.”

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

How is the funding for the exhibition broken down? $210,000 of existing funds from Te Papa, Archives New Zealand, National Library of New Zealand. $990,000 of new money from The State Services Commission’s Treaty of Waitangi Information Unit.

How will the exhibition tour? It will be travelling in it’s own mobile exhibition vehicle. The semi-trailer will open up on-site and knowledgeable and friendly staff will host the exhibition.

Where will the exhibition go? It will tour both the north and south Islands, going as far south as Invercargill and as far north as Kaitaia.

Where will it set up in each town? The exhibition will be in a variety of venues, in some towns it will exhibit as part of the A&P show or Regional Field Days, in other towns it will coordinate with a local event or festival, and where we are unable to join in with an event we will set up in the central square or shopping area.

Who will the exhibition appeal to? It will be aimed at everyone 13 years and up with or without prior knowledge of the Treaty, and it is hoped that all New Zealanders will get something positive from it. How long will it be on the road and how long will it stay at each location? It will be on the road for four months. The stop at each location will will vary depending on the size of the town, but will be between 1 and 7 days.

Will the exhibition include the actual Treaty? No, due to conservation requirements the original document will not be able to be included in the exhibition, however we will include reproductions of items that we think will be of interest to the public.

Who designed the website and how were they selected? A Nelson-based company, Webcomedia, was selected through an open tendering process to design and develop the site for both Phase One and Phase Two.

How much did it cost to develop the website? The cost for Phase One is approximately $110,00, and the cost for Phase Two is approximately $135,000.

Total approximate cost for the website $245,000.

How popular is the website? In the 12 months since it was first launched, there have been 8.2 million hits and 82,600 unique visitors – that is first time clients or terminals that have logged onto the site.

What other features can we expect in the future? Work will begin now on further enhancements, including an E learning programme, interactive quizzes, full glossary and audio links throughout the site.

Who were some of the historians who worked and provided quality assurance on the content? Historians included Dr Vincent O’Malley, David Armstong, Bruce Stirling, Associate Professor Richard Hill, Dr Claudia Orange, Professor Alan Ward and Aroha Harris. Historians from the Waitangi Tribunal, Office of Treaty Settlements, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Te Puni Kokiri and the Crown Law Office also contributed.

What has the Treaty information unit been doing apart from the website? The first initiative from the Treaty of Waitangi information programme was the sponsorship scheme which aims to give community-based groups access to funding, in order to help them run seminars, workshops or hui focussing on the Treaty.

Grant assistance has been provided to the Human Rights Commission for public dialogue symposia on Human Rights and the Treaty of Waitangi.

Other work from the Treaty information unit involves An E learning programme, providing information on the Treaty in bite size chunks, through the internet; Booklets, so that the public has access to easily understood information on the Treaty in hard copy form. The first of a series of booklets had been produced and 20,000 copies distributed.

Three more booklets are due within two months; Other initiatives in the Treaty resources area include the ongoing development of a Te Reo Mâori Treaty of Waitangi website, which will ensure the Treaty of Waitangi reaches the widest possible audience. In undertaking this work, the unit is not promoting a particular view of the Treaty’s significance.

Why have community discussions? The community discussions will give New Zealanders an opportunity to consider their own views, and the views of other New Zealanders, on the place of the Treaty in New Zealand, now and in the future.

The community discussions have been designed to improve understanding and knowledge of the Treaty, and to provide opportunities to New Zealanders to understand the range of viewpoints on the Treaty. They are not intended to change attitudes or promote a particular view. Who is organising the community discussions? The Treaty of Waitangi information is facilitating the community discussion events.

ENDS

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