Conference on presence of Māori in Parliament
victoria-university-of-wellington
Mon Apr 20 2009 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Conference on presence of Māori in Parliament
Monday, 20 April 2009, 11:33 am
Press Release: Victoria University of Wellington
Major conference to discuss presence of Māori in Parliament
Sparks could fly when a major conference brings together speakers from across the political spectrum to discuss the presence of Māori in Parliament next month.
Māori and Parliament is the eighth conference in a series run by Victoria University’s Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies, and the Former Parliamentarians’ Association. The conference will be held in Parliament Buildings from 8-9 May.
Conference organiser Professor Lydia Wevers says with a diverse range of participants speaking on this often inflammatory issue, the conference is likely to generate heated discussion.
“This is a topic which no one has really touched before, and this is a very exciting moment to do it. With the combination of people we have—from across the spectrum—sparks may fly.”
She says the conference is a bold and exciting initiative.
“No where else in the world could you do a parliamentary conference about indigenous representation in Parliament that went across the political spectrum.”
This year’s conference is hosted by National MP and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations, the Hon Christopher Finlayson, and will feature keynote speeches from Tariana Turia and Pita Sharples.
The two-day conference will also include panel discussions on issues such as the impact of MMP on the presence of Māori in Parliament, and the future of Māori seats. Panel speakers will include Professor Ngatata Love, Moana Jackson, Hone Harawira, Shane Jones, Doug Kidd, Georgina Beyer and Colin James.
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Professor Wevers says that the Māori Party’s involvement in the present Government means the conference comes at a watershed in New Zealand history.
“All of a sudden the Māori Party has the power to change things constitutionally—that is huge. We are at an historical watershed and it’s very hard to see what will flow from it.”
The Parliamentary conferences capture recent parliamentary history and offer a retrospective through the point of view of actual participants. All previous conferences have resulted in books documenting important historical moments in parliamentary history.
“The purpose of this particular conference is to record the powerful presence of Māori in parliament historically, but also to consider the very dynamic environment that Māori in parliament are in now,” says Professor Wevers.
The conference’s provisional programme can be viewed at:
wwwvictoria.ac.nz/stout-centre/events/conferences.aspx
ENDS
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