The Treaty and democratic government

Abstract

This is the first of a series of articles exploring current implications of the Treaty of Waitangi for New Zealand governance. Here, the objective is to locate the persistent Māori demand for some form of self government in its democratic context of government by- consent. The argument is that the issues are not conceptually difficult. In particular, fears about ‘sovereignty’ are unwarranted. The current burst of activity in ‘Treaty negotiation’ is not a threat to New Zealand’s democracy, but a sign of its strength – a positive and expected part of the constitutional system. As in any democracy, however, there are legitimate questions about the framework within which such negotiation takes place and its limits.