The air is full not with impatience and intolerance, but with the smells of food stalls representing a dozen cultures and music on the summer breeze. Those who believe they have a greater claim than other New Zealanders to these lands are themselves transgressors upon the spirit of the Treaty. And those who inflame this debate by their language and actions are taking real risks, because sooner or later someone is going to take their rhetoric or actions seriously. What is really important to New Zealand? In a surprise announcement shortly before Waitangi Day, Maori academic David Rankin has indicated that his sub-tribe - Matarahurahu - is finalising a claim to have the Treaty grounds in Waitangi, including the historic Treaty House, returned to his people. Read More