Lincoln (Neb.) - April 19, 2000 - Alan Ward, emeritus professor of history at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, will give a public lecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln April 27 on the legal rights of the Maori in New Zealand.
Ward's address, "A Maori Magna Carta?: The Place of the Treaty of Waitangi in New Zealand Today," begins at 3:30 p.m. in the Nebraska Union, 1400 R St. Ward will draw from his experiences with the Maori people and his position as contract historian to the Waitangi Tribunal.
The Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840 to formalize the transfer of sovereignty from the Maori to the British Crown. The Waitangi Tribunal was set up by the government of New Zealand in 1975 to listen to grievances from the Maori, who alleged the government had been ignoring the promises made in the treaty. In 1985 a law was passed to allow claims to be presented about grievances that had been caused by any government action since the signing of the treaty.
Ward grew up in Poverty Bay, New Zealand, where Maori and Pakeha (descendants of European immigrants) interacted in daily life and land issues were prevalent. His research and writing, from "A Show of Justice" (1974) onward, has reflected his life experiences. Ward's most recent book is "An Unsettled History: Treaty Claims in New Zealand Today."
The lecture is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and the
college's Human Rights and Human Diversity Initiative.
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