24/08/2026
nā Mani Dunlop (an excerpt from her article - link below)
Why is the Te Tiriti debate important?
For [Carwyn] Jones, the debate should not be confined to lawyers, judges and constitutional academics.
His new book, Matangi Rau: The Enduring Potential of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, brings together his writing on Treaty principles, tikanga and constitutional issues over more than a decade.
Jones said Te Tiriti should not be viewed simply as an historical document, or even only as an abstract constitutional issue.
“It actually provides a really important framework or a blueprint, ways of engaging in kind of collaborative relationships that can help us to address a whole lot of our current issues that we need to find ways of dealing with,” he said.
He points to climate change as one example where different forms of knowledge and different approaches will be needed to address a problem collectively.
Jones said the relationship envisaged through Te Tiriti also demonstrates that tino rangatiratanga and kāwanatanga do not necessarily have to exist at the expense of one another.
“I think about our tīpuna and the kind of imagination and courage that they showed in creating that space for tino rangatiratanga and kāwanatanga to exist in the same space.
“And I think if they can set that framework, then I feel like we’ve got the tools there to be able to deliver on that relationship and to address what seem like really hard problems that we’re confronting in very practical ways,” Jones said.
https://www.teaonews.co.nz/2026/08/24/acts-one-law-for-all-policy-an-attempt-to-re-litigate-treaty-principles-bill-expert-says/
![nā Mani Dunlop (an excerpt from her article - link below)Why is the Te Tiriti debate important?For [Carwyn] Jones, the d...](https://img4.shops1000.com/103/026/1673377371030266.jpg)
