Education ‘central’ theme

Press, 7 December 1988, Page 36

Education ‘central’ theme

, The need for public education on Treaty issues has emerged as the principal theme of the Parliamentary Environmental report. “As an artefact of New Zealand’s history and the curriculum of the school system, the great majority of New Zealanders are unaware of their history,” said the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Mrs Helen Hughes, in the report. Scholarly and bicultural investigations initiated through the Waitangi

Tribunal and the activities of pressure groups had helped promote media attention. However, the public remained largely unaware of “essential” basic information. “The detail of tribunal reports is inaccessable to the majority of the public, and Crown press releases have been unhelpful in explaining historical background.” The need for public education on treaty issues had been highlighted by the Royal Commission on

Social Policy, the Court of Appeal, the Waitangi Tribunal, Federated Farmers and the Crown negotiators in the Joint Working Group on Maori fisheries. “It is the Crown’s responsibility to initiate action,” said the commissioner. “The Crown should as a matter of urgency financially support and expand education efforts to present to the public a balanced history of the treaty.”