Aotearoa New Zealand Day Bill Debate

This bill seeks to "Mondayise" Waitangi Day, and it seeks to rename Waitangi Day as Aotearoa New Zealand Day.

Aotearoa New Zealand Day — it does not quite work, not just because it is clumsy verbally but because it really seeks to change the nature of the day. The Waitangi Day Act provides for a public holiday to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. This bill seeks to add something further, which is to commemorate our national identity. I am not sure that we can commemorate our national identity. I think that national identity is something that we create in the present. It is something we develop.

We can commemorate events that led to the establishment of our national identity, and we do do that. In fact, we do that when we celebrate Waitangi Day. We also do that when we commemorate Anzac Day. We do that when we commemorate events at Parihaka and other events through the history of this country.

We commemorate Waitangi Day because the Treaty of Waitangi is a major document in our history. We commemorate Waitangi Day because we recognise the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in establishing the authority of the government of the Crown in this country. I note that the Treaty of Waitangi maintains the tino rangatiratanga of Maori people in this country. But the Treaty of Waitangi is the agreement that gives legitimacy to the government of the Crown in this land. The Treaty of Waitangi is also the document that gives me as a Pakeha the right to be in this country, and it gives me a place to stand in this country, and a foundation.

If we were to rename Waitangi Day, I think it means that we would be relegating the Treaty of Waitangi to a minor role, and that is not something that I think we should do. In some ways it would be like the Americans calling their Independence Day, "USA Day". It does not work. I look forward to New Zealand one day being able truly to celebrate an independence day, but that day has not yet arrived.

But that is not to take away from the importance of Waitangi Day and the importance of the Treaty of Waitangi in the history of this nation.

If there was evidence that there was widespread support in this country for a "Mondayisation" of Waitangi Day, and if there was evidence of widespread support for the renaming of this day — and if there was evidence of support from Maori and Pakeha people in this country — then we would look seriously at supporting the referring of this bill to a select committee. But there is no such evidence. There is no evidence of widespread support for this bill.

I make a final point that many people see Waitangi Day as a day of division, a day of bitterness. Some people are uncomfortable with the Treaty of Waitangi and with concepts of tino rangatiratanga, and some people are unwilling to face up to the history and the reality of our country. Some people are in denial and in defence mode.

It is interesting that Waitangi Day, 6 February, is also Bob Marley's birthday. Waitangi Day has become an important day on the Rastafarian calendar. To us, Waitangi Day celebrates one love. We call it "Waitangi Day - One Love day". It is a day of unity. In Auckland we hold a celebration called "One Love" when we commemorate Waitangi Day and Bob Marley's birthday. It is not only a day of respect and unity but also justice. It is a day of togetherness, and 15,000 people come to that celebration in Auckland.