Executive Summary

Introduction

In November 2004, the Government directed the State Services Commission (SSC) to facilitate a series of discussions on the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in contemporary New Zealand. This report provides an overview of the implementation and the effectiveness of the Community Discussions Initiative. The key findings of the report will be used as the basis of a report back to government on how effective the Community Discussions Initiative was at engaging communities in dialogue about the place of the Treaty in contemporary New Zealand. This report draws information from a range of quantitative and qualitative sources collected throughout the series of discussions.

In February 2005, Cabinet agreed that:

• the series of community discussions on the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in contemporary New Zealand would be fostered by way of a dialogue method, and
• the key purpose of the community discussions was to provide New Zealanders with the opportunity, and on-going support, to get together to consider and discuss the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand now and in the future.

Design and implementation of the Community Discussion events

The objectives set for this series of Community Discussion events were to provide an opportunity for participants to:

a. get together to consider and discuss the place of the Treaty in New Zealand, now and in the future

b. examine and develop an understanding of their own views on the place of the Treaty relationship in New Zealand today and in the future, and

c. increase their awareness of the views of others about the place of the Treaty relationship in New Zealand today and in the future.

The dialogue method developed to guide the Community Discussions was designed to:

• create a safe space for people with diverse views to meet
• encourage communication based on co-operation, mutual respect and active listening
• work towards a shared meaning
• foster understanding of participants by changing the way we communication, and
• increase understanding of how views are shaped by personal experiences and assumptions.

Two providers, each with different skills and expertise were engaged, by the SSC to contribute to the design and implementation of the project. The Auckland Workers Educational Association (AWEA) had extensive experience in designing and developing resources about the Treaty and facilitating Treaty training and education workshops. Mixed Media Ltd had extensive knowledge and experience in designing, developing and facilitating dialogue processes. AWEA led the development of a methodology to guide the facilitation of the dialogue events, and produced a resource booklet to provide background information to participants prior to the event. Both providers facilitated events, with Mixed Media Ltd taking assigned responsibility for the South Island events and AWEA for the North Island events.

Within each community where an event was held, a key contact person from that community was engaged to secure a diverse range of participants for the discussion event. The locations for the pilot events were chosen to ensure diversity in terms of geographical location and with the aim of drawing participants from a cross-section of the population. Key contacts were responsible for confirming the date and timing of the dialogue events.

A total of 29 discussion events were held throughout the country. Five pilot events were held between October and November 2005 and 24 main events were held between February and May 2006. Of the 29 discussion events, 23 general events were designed to attract a cross section of the population. Six events targeted specific population groups including: two events for Pacific people, two youth events, one Māori event and one migrant event.

Participants' had a diverse range of values, beliefs, assumptions and experiences that they drew on to develop and explain their views. When asked prior to the event, almost three quarters (74%) of registered participants indicated that the Treaty was very important or important to them. Similarly, over three quarters (78%) of participants indicated that the Treaty was very relevant or relevant to New Zealand today. Knowledge of the Treaty was more diverse with 57% of participants indicating that they had a fair amount or a lot of knowledge on the Treaty and 37% indicating that they did not know much or hardly anything about the Treaty.

Of those who registered, 76% (327 people) participated in a dialogue event. Six percent withdrew prior to the event, and 18% did not attend on the day. Of those who participated in the dialogue events:

• almost two thirds (64%) were female
• almost half of participants (48%) were aged 50 years or over and the age of participants ranged from 15 - 83 years, and
• 58% of participants identified as European, 19% identified as Māori, 13% identified as Pacific, and 6% identified as Asian.

Effectiveness of the Community Discussions

In assessing the effectiveness of the Community Discussions, the SSC considered whether the objectives of the Community Discussions Initiative were met. Overall, the SSC considered that the dialogue method was effective at engaging communities about the place of the Treaty of Waitangi in contemporary New Zealand. Participants were able to come together and engage in conversations about the Treaty, in a way that would not often occur within their communities. The strength of the dialogue method was that it provided a safe and open forum for participants to share their views on the Treaty of Waitangi.

A safe space was provided for people with diverse views to meet; communication was based on co-operation, mutual respect and active listening. A deeper understanding of the Treaty was gained by most participants and there was also an increase in understanding how differing views are shaped.

The dialogue method successfully moved discussion away from the adversarial confrontation that has historically surrounded the Treaty. It enabled a safe and non-threatening environment where different viewpoints could be exchanged and debated.

Feedback from participants indicated that they were both highly satisfied with the process and that the objectives of the community discussions were met. The majority of participants indicated that they were able to examine and clarify their own views of the Treaty relationship. Similarly most participants agreed that their knowledge and understanding of other people's views about the Treaty relationship had increased. Many participants reported that through the process they were able to increase awareness and understanding of the views of others, even those views that were different from their own. Almost two thirds of participants indicated that they had rethought their own views about the Treaty relationship.

Finally, the process clearly gave participants the impetus to gain further knowledge and understanding of the Treaty. A large number of participants expressed the desire to gain further knowledge and education about the Treaty.