Staff + Student LoginWaikato law dean to reflect on Treaty of Waitangi
29 September 2011
Professor Brad Morse: Will present his public lecture, Te Tiriti o Waitangi in a Global Context: Growing Recognition of Indigenous Rights, in October as part of the 2011 Inaugural Professorial Lectures.
University of Waikato Te Piringa-Faculty of Law Dean Professor Brad Morse says New Zealand and other countries have learnt and will continue to learn a lot from the Treaty of Waitangi.
Exploring the Treaty
“The treaty experience is not unique to New Zealand, but there are unique aspects which other countries find extremely interesting,” says Professor Morse, who specialises in indigenous issues and has been an adviser to the Waitangi Tribunal and the Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission.
In his inaugural professorial lecture being held on October 18, Professor Morse will share his views of how the experiences in New Zealand are of interest and are beneficially shared amongst peoples and nations in other parts of the world.
“The Waitangi Tribunal is being looked at by a number of countries who are exploring developing tribunals of their own and the co-management of the Waikato River, although based in part on experiences elsewhere, is also being looked at for some of its individual aspects.
Global Context
“In global terms, New Zealand has punched above its weight in the indigenous space and as a country it should be really proud of that, but at the same time people should not rest on their laurels as there’s so much more that needs to be done,” he says.
“The face of New Zealand is changing. It’s becoming a multicultural society which, in terms of the relevance of the treaty, becomes an issue. But these are issues that all states have to deal with. The hallmark of a successful state is its ability to deal with these issues in a peaceful fashion and to adapt and engage in discussion.”
Inaugural Professorial Lectures are the university’s way of formally introducing new and recently appointed professors to the wider community. All lectures are free and open to the public.
Professor Brad Morse’s public lecture, titled Te Tiriti o Waitangi in a Global Context: Growing Recognition of Indigenous Rights, takes place on Tuesday 18 October at 6.30pm at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts. The Opus Bar is open from 5.30pm.
