HISTORY 327: Waitangi: Treaty to Tribunal

SEMESTER 2, 2018: 15 points

 

Tēnā koutou tauira mā. Tēnā koutou, nau mai, haere mai, Welcome to History 327, 2018: A history of the Treaty of Waitangi and the establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal, with an examination of historical and contemporary claims brought before the tribunal.

This home page summarises the key elements of the course. Full details are contained in the course guide available in the Course Information Module. (Access via the Modules menu to the left.) Please familiarise yourself with the course guide which contains the lecture and discussion group programme, readings, and all your coursework information. I will also provide further details about assignments and set readings in the weekly discussion groups, and sometimes here in Canvas.

 

Course Convenor: Dr Aroha Harris, Room 705, Arts 1 Building, a.harris@auckland.ac.nz

Course Delivery:    Two one-hour lectures; one one-hour discussion group.

Lectures are on Mondays and Wednesdays at 12:00pm in 303-G02 (Science, Maths & Physics).

The discussion group is on Thursdays at 12:00pm in 421E-619 (Architecture East, Room 619).

Please note: the discussion group will begin in week one.

(Timetable and room details can also be viewed on Student Services Online)

 

Summary Course Description:              

A history of the Treaty of Waitangi and the Waitangi Tribunal. The course explores changing understandings of the Treaty and its role in New Zealand society and history since 1840. The establishment of the Waitangi Tribunal in 1975, the development of its work, the historical and contemporary claims brought before it, including the range of sources and evidence, will also be studied.

 

Course outcomes:

Through readings and analysis students who participate in this course will learn about the Treaty of Waitangi in historical perspective, as well as the operation of the Waitangi Tribunal and the nature and limits of its work. Students will also develop an understanding of key themes, trends, processes and events discussed in the relevant literature while building on the historian’s skills of thinking historically, using primary sources, and writing historical essays.

This course is taught concurrently with History 227. You will attend the same lectures as students in History 227, but you will attend a weekly discussion group rather than tutorials and will complete different assessments.

 

Assessment, 100% - You have six pieces of coursework to complete:

• Week one reflection, 250 words, worth 5%
• Document analysis, 750 words,15%
• Review essay OR discussion group presentation, 750 words, 15%
• Research essay proposal, 250 words, 5%
• Research essay, 2500 words, worth 50%
• Discussion group participation, worth 10%

In completing your assessments, make sure you are familiar with the History Coursework Guide, available among the School of Humanities' forms and guides for students.

To pass this course, you must complete all the assessments. Your attendance at group discussions is required. Your attendance at lectures is expected. There is no exam.

If you are unable to attend any group discussion please let me know. If you are absent without explanation from three or more discussion groups, your work will be graded but you will not receive any written comments.

If you have any difficulty meeting the coursework requirements, be sure to discuss your situation with me.

 

Reading:

This year the History 327 group discussions will include a focus on two Waitangi Tribunal reports: Ko Aotearoa Tēnei: A Report into Claims Concerning New Zealand Law and Policy Affecting Māori Culture and Identity, Taumata Tuatahi (Wai 262), 2011 and He Whakaputanga me te Tiriti/The Declaration and the Treaty: The Report on Stage 1 of the Te Paparahi o Te Raki Inquiry (Wai 1040), 2014. Specific extracts from these reports will be made available with the other discussion group readings in the Reading Lists menu. You can expect the reading list to be completed and available in early July. In the meantime, if you like, you can download your own copies of the reports from the Waitangi Tribunal website.

I also make the following reading suggestions:

• If the subject of the course is completely new to you, then I recommend the Treaty of Waitangi section of the NZ History website, as a way of bringing yourself up to speed on the basics.
• If you have some familiarity with the Aotearoa New Zealand history, but would like a refresher or quick read then I recommend Atholl Anderson, Judith Binney, and Aroha Harris, Tangata Whenua: an Illustrated History, chapters 8, 14 and 15. You could probably read through those chapters selectively for the sections you regard as most relevant. Also, note that there is an unillustrated paperback version of Tangata Whenua (2015), and the three parts have been published as stand-alone illustrated paperbacks (2018).
• For a long view of Māori-state relations over time, I recommend Richard S. Hill, ‘Māori and State Policy’ in Byrnes, Giselle, ed, The New Oxford History of New Zealand, Melbourne, 2009, pp.515-535. In my view, this is a good reading not only for this course but for New Zealand history courses in general. It is quite lengthy for a chapter, and also dense, but it covers a lot of relevant ground and is usefully framed for our purposes. I suggest either taking your time to read it, or skim-reading then going back to re-read the sections of particular interest to you.
• If you want an easy read for some of the specifics of the course, I recommend selected chapters from my book Hikoi: forty years of Māori protest, Wellington, 2014 - maybe choosing from chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 10 and 11.

 

Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland expects you to spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. You ought to manage your academic workload and other commitments accordingly. The deadlines for coursework are advertised in the course material here in Canvas. 

Coursework is expected on or before the due date. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may request an extension. Please ask in advance and in person. You may be asked to provide supporting information for your extension, such as a medical certificate.  Work handed in after the due or extension date may be penalised by deduction of marks.

 

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland expects all students to complete coursework and examinations with integrity and honesty. Cheating, including assisting others to cheat, is a very serious academic offence and the University will not tolerate it. To ensure that the standard of all University of Auckland qualifications is maintained, students and staff have a responsibility to prevent, discourage and report cheating. Find out more about academic integrity under the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the University website.

 

Please note: the course information provided via Canvas is available for use within this course only. It should not be used for any other course, or any other purpose.