TREATY 2 U – A Nationwide Touring Exhibition about

TREATY 2 U – A Nationwide Touring Exhibition about

The Treaty of Waitangi Coming to a Town Near you!

It took 7 days to write, 7 months to sign, 165 years to debate … and counting. TREATY 2 U brings the story of the nation’s founding document to all New Zealanders through a unique nationwide touring exhibition in a state of the art truck.

The TREATY 2 U exhibition will be launched outside the Lake Taupo Museum and Art Gallery on 14 January 2006. It will provide insights to the Treaty of Waitangi through sight, sound, video, cartoons, and animated graphics. The exhibition truck will tour 35 small towns and cities throughout New Zealand. Interactive technology will enable visitors to find out more about the Treaty and have their say on issues. The exhibition also includes replicas of the original nine Treaty documents, especially
‘aged’ by the same artist who worked on the documents featured in the Lord of The Rings film trilogy.

The exhibition is presented by three organisations with leading roles in looking after New Zealand’s treasures – Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Archives New Zealand and the National Library of New Zealand – and is supported by the State Services Commission (SSC) Treaty Information Unit.

"This project has enabled these three flagship institutions (Te Papa, Archives NZ and the National Library) to work together to take the Treaty's significance out to our communities. The Treaty is an integral part of our history, New Zealand's future, and our unique cultural identity. We as a nation are learning to understand how the Treaty has, and continues to play a part in our everyday lives. Te Papa is proud to be part of this initiative,” said Dr Seddon Bennington, Te Papa's Chief Executive.

Dr Claudia Orange, Te Papa’s Director of History and the curator of the TREATY 2 U exhibition, said TREATY 2 U covers the events that led up to the Treaty, from first contact between Mäori and Päkehä, to lengthy debate the night before signing.

“It explains what is written in the documents and the crucial differences between the Mäori and English versions. The exhibition follows the documents’ journeys during 1840 as more signatures were sought. It also looks at the varying expectations held by Mäori and Päkehä groups.” Dr Orange said.

Discover which expectations were met and which were not as time went on. Understand the growing unrest among both Mäori and Päkehä that led to a settlement process and how that process works.

TREATY 2 U aims to show that despite controversy over the years, the Treaty of Waitangi continues to help New Zealanders understand the past, make sense of the present, and build for the future.

A detailed itinerary of the tour can be viewed by clicking the exhibition link on the website www.treatyofwaitangi.govt.nz

ENDS